


chaos theory

by stagemanager



Series: Gemhog AU [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: Action, Adopted Children, Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Found Family, Gemhog AU, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:34:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23753161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stagemanager/pseuds/stagemanager
Summary: Sonic is living his best life on Earth. He’s saved the world from a power-hungry evil scientist, found a family and a home, and is planning to try out for baseball this spring. Everything’s going great!Too bad Murphy’s Law also applies to blue alien hedgehogs.
Relationships: Maddie Wachowski/Tom Wachowski
Series: Gemhog AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708957
Comments: 119
Kudos: 288





	1. viridian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place after the original film and emerald green; however, it only necessary to have seen the film and read the first chapter of emerald green.

From the moment she touched the emerald, Longclaw knew she was living on borrowed time. 

It’s a thought that nobody wants to deal with. The idea that your life is hanging by a cosmic thread, able to snap at any second, is terrifying. Even with her years of training and battle, the old warrior feels the heaviness of it all pressing down upon her. The sharp snap of a branch is enough to provoke her combat-honed instincts, her heart beating a furious tempo as she rapidly surveys her surroundings for a threat. When she looks down and sees Sonic standing in front of her, grass and twigs caught in his quills, she shakes her head and releases a heavy breath. 

They say that the anticipation of the end is worse than the end itself.

All too aware of how little time she has left, the owl begins making plans. Her charge is fast asleep, curled up under a worn but soft blanket. Drawing her gaze from the child, Longclaw returns to her sketching. Even in the darkness of night, her cerulean eyes easily pick out the place where she left off.

Sonic will outlive her. She’ll do everything in her power to ensure that he does. As much she wishes—feeds herself the lie that she finally has a family—she needs to leave something for him after she’s gone. The bag of rings was always going to be his—if and until he unlocks his true power, it will be the fastest way for him to escape—but he won’t know where to go. The map emerged as a way to solve that issue. 

As the last in the line of warriors protecting the planet, she was taught knowledge that others would never learn. While the echidnas may know the ancient chants to control the emeralds, she knows places that they have no idea about. Worlds on the far side of the universe where Sonic should be safe out of their grasp.

A quiet murmur draws Longclaw out of her thoughts. Pausing, she turns around. Sonic is shifting under the blanket, dreaming and muttering in his sleep. 

It’s a familiar sight for the old owl. Not long after Sonic had said his first words, he’d started whispering in his sleep. It was relatively insignificant at first: she’d woken up on several occasions but that was because of her hyper-alert senses and not his volume. But eventually, the innocent ramblings had formed into actual thoughts. Ideas that no one-year-old child would ever know about.

The night that she heard him utter the word ‘chaos’, the tiny hope that he would be a normal child was immediately extinguished in her mind. The ancient knowledge and limitless power of a cosmic keystone was standing before her, locked in the shape and mind of an innocent, little boy. Someday, the locks will be broken. 

Going back to her work, Longclaw notices that her brush is dry. The map is done at this point, illustrations of all the safe planets she can think of present on the paper. Across the hut, Sonic makes another sound, rolling over before finally settling. His tiny nose twitches.

Dipping her quill pen into the ink, the owl adds one final touch on her gift to the child. A way to tell Sonic the secret that he has every right to know and every reason not to know. 

Longclaw paints a Chaos Emerald on the map.

* * *

Humans are very… interesting creatures. For the past ten years, Sonic had spent a lot of his time observing the citizens of Green Hills go through their daily routines—all one thousand, nine hundred, and eighty-one of them. If he wasn’t running and hiding, he was people watching in the shadows. Despite the curiosity and loneliness that burned at his soul, he’d forced himself to follow Longclaw’s final instruction. And so, for a decade, he learned as much as he could about a world that could never know that he existed.

He keeps thinking that all of this is a dream. That one day, he’s going to wake up in the dim light of his cave and discover that his freedom and friendships are just his mind conjuring up a nighttime fantasy. He knows how weird his dreams can be. 

But then, Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady—their names are Tom and Maddie Wachowski and they are his favorite humans—give him his own room with all his stuff from the cave. Let him pick what he wants to watch on movie night. Enroll him in school and fill out all the paperwork that parents are supposed to do for their… 

He catches himself before he can finish that sentence. It’s a thought that has been popping up in his mind a lot more since he was given a student ID. The card’s supposed to have the student’s full name on it: first, last, and middle initial if they have one. When the teenager got his fake one—it doesn’t work because they didn’t want to put his information into a government system—the words ‘Sonic Wachowski’ were printed on it in big, black letters. Next to the name is a picture of him dressed in a yellow sunflower sweater and shorts and brand new red sneakers that Maddie bought for him.

His stomach does this weird flip every time he sees it. If this is a dream, he doesn’t ever want to wake up.

“Time to go!” Tom announces, grabbing his gear. In less than a millisecond, Sonic snaps back into awareness and dashes upstairs and back. He stops in front of the human, his book bag on his back and his lunchbox hanging off his hip.

“Finally!” He exclaims, all previous thoughts put aside. “I thought I was going to have to run there instead!” 

The sheriff rolls his eyes at the hedgehog’s remark. “That might be a good thing,” he comments, lips curling into a playful smile. “You’ve been getting kinda chubby lately.” Tom ribs, poking lightly at the teen’s stomach. Immediately, Sonic’s muzzle starts turning the shade of red as his flannel shirt.

 _“H-Hey!”_ The alien shouts, battling the hand away. “That’s… _Jerklord!”_

Tom chuckles, savoring this whole situation. He rises to his feet, rolling his shoulders and pulling the keys out of his pocket. 

“Alright, c’mon. Don’t give me that face. I’m sorry.”

Sonic pouts and glances away, still upset. Seeing his petulant expression, the sheriff reaches a hand to the hedgehog’s head, ruffling his quills before giving one of his ears a quick rub. The gesture is successful in lifting the teenager’s sour mood. 

“I guess I can give you the honor of driving me to school today.” Sonic states, a sly grin on his face. 

Tom simply laughs again. “Lucky me,” he comments, before opening up the front door. 

Since the hedgehog’s enrollment in school, Tom and Maddie have modified their schedules to better accommodate the excited student. While Tom’s hours were largely unchanging given his position, Maddie’s hours were a bit more flexible. Recently, she’s started taking the earlier shift at the office, allowing her to pick up the teen from school after work. 

Despite the earlier discord, the car ride to school is filled with comfortable conversation. Sonic is chattering on excitedly about anything that comes to his mind, primarily what’s happening at school.

“...and he actually _made_ the basket from half court! And to top it all off, Howard ran over to Coach Green and made him fork over the ten dollars! It was insane!” Sonic finishes, gesturing out with his hands. Tom smiles, glancing at the hedgehog in the rear view mirror. 

“I’m sure it was,” the man responds warmly, sensing the teen’s joy. “Was the rest of your day just as exciting?”

“Nah, nothing could beat that. But Coach Smith did mention that students should start thinking about spring tryouts.”

Sonic gazes out the window. He’s wearing a subdued expression, one that seems ill-fitting on the normally chipper space creature. Tom knows almost instantly what he’s thinking.

“It’s a nice day out,” he remarks casually, a grin on his face. The leaves are just beginning to change color, lush greens being replaced by warm yellows and reds. A light breeze rustles the trees, shaking loose the multicolored leaves.

The hedgehog makes a sound of agreement, gaze switching to the human. _Yeah and_ , he wordlessly says. Tom takes this as his signal to continue. 

“Maybe I’ll leave work a little early today. I’ll get home, and then you and I can pop over to the baseball field before dinner. That sound good?”

Sonic’s immediate response is an enthusiastic nod. But then his eagerness fades slightly. “Are you sure?” He asks, a hint of anxiousness in his tone. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

While being considerate of others is an admirable quality, Tom knows that Sonic’s restraint is the result of something else. After spending years in hiding, it’s difficult for him to grasp that he can finally interact with humans now. That he doesn’t have to keep stuffing his eagerness and curiosity behind a yellow line. The teen has been getting better, but old habits—they were _survival instincts_ , he thought he was going to get hurt if he didn’t and he nearly _died_ that day—are hard to break. While Sonic attempts to hide it behind a confident smirk and witty jokes, his facade has slipped from time to time. 

Tom makes sure that his next words are filled with sincerity and warmth. 

“You’re not going to get me in trouble, Sonic. Besides, what’s the point of being entrusted with power if you don’t abuse it once in a while?”

The hedgehog in question glances down, a hand fiddling with his Fitbit. The thoughtful expression lingers for another moment before he peers up, a grin crossing his features.

“Are you plotting a crime, Donut Lord?” He inquires, narrowing his eyes. The human simply snorts.

“Maybe. If you arrest me, we won’t be able to go to the field today.”

“Well then, you better get ready to face the fiercest southpaw in Green Hills tonight! My fastball is impossible to hit!”

“Kid, I’d be shocked if you threw anything other than a fastball. Maybe I can show you some other kinds of pitches. Fastballs are good, but you gotta have some other tricks up your sleeve.”

Sonic gives an over-the-top gasp. “Are you telling me that going fast isn’t the answer here, Donut Lord? Lies and slander!”

“‘Slander’, huh? Someone’s been studying for the vocab test.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

For the rest of the ride, Tom and Sonic rib good-naturedly at each other. It’s a familiar banter that the two males are easily able to slip into. Before long, the cruiser pulls into the car loop at the middle school. 

The sheriff switches the car into park and turns to regard his lone passenger in the back seat. Sonic is unbuckling his seat belt and reaching for his things.

“Maddie will be here to pick you up later. Got your lunch box?”

Sonic rolls his eyes. “Yes.”

“Backpack?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Paddle ball?”

“Mmmm _mmmm_ ** _no._ ** _”_ In an instant, Sonic’s muzzle flushes a lovely shade of pink. Tom’s sunglasses slide down his nose slightly, and he holds out a hand.

Busted.

“Give it here, please. The fidget cube's fine, but you know the paddle's too much of a distraction to others.”

Sighing, the hedgehog takes off his backpack and fishes the toy out. He begrudgingly hands it to the sheriff. Tom gives the sulking teenager an amused expression after the exchange, his blue eyes sparkling.

“Thank you.”

Sonic re-dons his backpack and yanks open the car door with both hands. He doesn’t spare a glance back as he closes it, hopping out onto the sidewalk. “Yeah, okay,” he mutters, about to join the throng of students filing into the school.

The front passenger window rolls down behind him. 

“Hey, spacehog!” Tom shouts. At a speed befitting his name, the alien’s head whips back around, his emerald eyes wide. What are you…? 

The sheriff smiles, switching the cruiser back to drive. He winks at the teenager as he pulls away from the curb. “Have a good day at school! I love you!”

It takes a couple seconds for the words to register in Sonic’s mind. When it finally does, he’s left standing there on the sidewalk, his mind racing and his stomach doing a dozen flips inside of him. 

_Hesaidiloveyouohmygoddoesthatmeanhethinksthatyou’rehis—_

The school bell abruptly rings, startling the hedgehog. His eyes dart around to see a couple stragglers racing out of cars, hoping to get to class before getting marked tardy. The hedgehog watches one of the students run back to their car after forgetting something, their father holding up the lunch box in his hand. 

Sonic shakes his head lightly before glancing down at the clock on his Fitbit. Adjusting the straps on his backpack, he grins mischievously before disappearing in a flash of blue.

When Sheriff Thomas Michael Wachowski pulls into the station that morning, he finds a piece of notebook paper folded in the passenger’s seat. Unfolding the paper reveals a note written in familiar scrawl that makes the man chuckle.

_‘Have a good day, Jerklord! From your second bestest animal friend.’_

* * *

You would think that being a veterinarian in a small town would be a relatively dull experience, but each day bought something new. Green Hills had a small human population, but it was a farm town in the midst of the woods. Patients here ran the gamut from the old cow Bessie to wild grizzly bears.

The animal of the day was a young fawn found on the side of a dirt road. Her front right leg was broken, and she had likely been left behind by her mother when she couldn’t keep up. Considering the predators that roam Montana, it was a miracle that she was still alive. After placing the leg into a brace, it was time for the little one to eat something. 

“The animal whisperer strikes again,” a voice remarks. Maddie doesn’t turn around, already used to hearing such comments from her college-age assistant. 

“It’s not animal whispering, Allie. Just lots of sleepless nights studying and copious note taking in class.” Seeing that the fawn has stopped drinking, the veterinarian sets the empty bottle down. The young deer is settling down on the blanket, satisfied and sleepy. 

Allie steps up to the table, an awed expression on her face. “I know that. But your skill with animals, Doctor Wachowski, is unparalleled. I mean, how many veterinarians can say that they have experience caring for an alien species?”

The assistant’s compliments prove successful in producing a response this time. A flattered smile forms on Maddie’s face and she raises her gaze to meet the other woman’s. 

“Thank you,” she responds. Allie beams back at her. 

“You’re welcome. You’re the best vet Green Hills has.” 

The room dissolves into a comfortable silence, the two women focusing on their assigned tasks. After several minutes of work, the younger of the two breaks the quiet with some casual conversation.

“How’s the little attic mouse doing these days? Keeping you and the sheriff on your toes?”

Maddie’s eyes crinkle. “Oh, he keeps us busy alright. Always moving and always so curious about everything. But Sonic’s a wonderful kid.”

“I still can’t believe that Crazy Carl’s ravings about the ‘Blue Devil’ were true. You know he started telling devil stories again yesterday? New ones, apparently.”

The older of the two women snorts. “Probably just exaggerations of what Sonic’s been up to.”

“Yeah. I still can’t believe that he ran into a burning building to help people escape. How many thirteen-year-olds are that brave?”

“Not many, I’m guessing.”

“Have you considered adopting him?”

That question catches the veterinarian off guard. She pauses, brown eyes slowly blinking. Upon seeing her response, Allie immediately backpedals.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me to ask. It’s not any of my—”

“We’ve thought about it,” Maddie interjects, wearing a thoughtful expression. “I don’t know how official we could make it considering that the government can’t know he exists, but Tom and I have mentally adopted him as our son. We’re just trying to figure out a way to break it to him.”

“You haven’t _told_ him yet?” Allie exclaims, flabbergasted.

“Being adopted is a big change for any kid, especially for one who’s been taking care of himself for ten years. Tom and I… decided it would be best if we let him come to us first. Show him rather than tell him.”

Allie looks down. “Okay,” she states, after a beat. “I guess that makes sense.” The woman shrugs. “I mean, what do I know, I don’t have kids.”

The veterinarian blinks again, staring at the college student. For a second, the ambient sounds of the office seem louder than usual. Then Maddie smiles, a warm light in her eyes.

“Don’t sell yourself short. The way you treated those puppies yesterday was definite mom material.”

At once, her assistant snorts. “Gee, thanks,” she responds dryly. But the grin on her face gives away her gratitude.

Maddie’s smile widens. Her eyes check the clock on the wall before lowering to the sleeping fawn. Two hours until dismissal. “C’mon. Let’s take this little one to the enclosures.”

* * *

Considering the speeds at which he moves and speaks, it seems rather surprising that Sonic enjoys school. The blue alien relishes any chance he has to learn new things and hang out with his friends. School met both of those things. Even before being enrolled, Sonic had been secretly attending school. While it was a little difficult sometimes to see and hear the teachers from his hidden perch, he managed to pick up on the lessons fairly well. He even started bringing his own scavenged paper and pencils with him so he could copy the exercises. Whenever he found an old textbook—schools threw them away sometimes and it was the greatest thing ever for him—he’d spend the next week reading, tracing, solving, and scribbling in every available space.

So overall, Sonic enjoyed going to class. Even it meant getting up early and taking quizzes.

But today, the hedgehog wishes that school could go by just a little faster.

_Tick, tick._

Maybe Donut Lord shouldn’t have told him about the trip to the baseball field. Then maybe this wouldn’t be so unbearable. 

“Psst! Sonic!”

At once, the hedgehog’s eyes whip down. His left leg ceases bouncing against his chair. Peering to his right, he sees a black-haired boy tilting his head at him. 

“Donny? What is it?”

His classmate is in the midst of opening his mouth when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupts him. Two pairs of eyes, one emerald and one brown, snap up to see their teacher’s focus on both of them. 

“Mister Cunningham, Mister Wachowski, I know that learning about Mesoamerican civilizations isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but could we please focus for a couple more minutes? We’re nearly at the end.”

At the teacher’s words, the two students bow their heads slightly. “Yes, Mr. Stewart,” they murmur, picking up their pencils. Sonic blinks upon discovering the multiple empty spaces on his notes handout. Guess he must have spaced out longer than he thought. Uh, where are we again on this?

Feeling guilty for zoning out, the alien re-centers his focus on the lecture. He finds the place where Mr. Stewart left off easily, and fills in the necessary blanks. And then, sure enough, the bell rings, signalling the end of the school day. At once, every student starts collecting their belongings, the chorus of zippers and clicking pens filling the air.

“Don’t forget to read the first section on the Mayans!” Mr. Stewart exclaims, trying to get one final word in before his students rush out. “Have a good weekend everyone!”

While he could easily beat the crowds, Sonic decides to take the leisurely route outside. It’ll take a couple of minutes for Maddie to get here. Donny walks with him out of class, following him to the car loop.

“Are you okay?” The taller student asks. There’s a concerned expression on his face as they emerge out onto the sidewalk. “It looked like you were focusing on something else.”

The alien walks to a nearby bench and adjusts his cap before answering. “I’m good. Just really excited about something that’s gonna happen today. Speaking of which, can I see your notes for a sec? I kinda missed some of it.”

Despite narrowing his eyes at the request, the boy sits down and draws a purple binder out of his backpack. He flips it methodically through for a couple of seconds before showing the page to Sonic.

“Did you just wanna look at it or…?” 

For the second time in the last hour, Donny is interrupted. However this time, it is by the sudden movement of Sonic from standing to sitting beside on the bench. His notes sheet from earlier is laid in front of him, all of the blanks filled. 

“Just needed to look at it,” the hedgehog smiles, putting away the paper. “Thanks, Donny!” 

The boy simply blinks in response. A second later, he sighs and shakes his head. His binder snaps closed with a thud before he stuffs it back in her bag. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you…”.

Sonic’s grin widens. “You just can’t explain greatness.”

Donny rolls his eyes. “Sure. If that’s what you wanna believe.”

"Excuse me?”

“Nothing! Just an observation.”

“Hmph. Okay then.”

The black-haired boy smirks at the hedgehog before his gaze suddenly focuses on something behind his friend. Sonic follows his line of sight and turns around. 

Walking up the sidewalk towards the bench are two students: one girl and one boy. The boy is dressed casually in a green hoodie and jeans while the girl wears a more formal looking white blouse and pleated skirt. 

Sonic waves excitedly to the two students. “Louie! Abby! Hey!”

Abby greets her alien classmate with a friendly hello while Louie offers a silent but sincere nod. They slide their bags off and lean them against the bench. 

“So, what was that big thing that you had to break into my art class and leave a note about?” Abby inquires, sitting down. At her words, Donny makes a vaguely shocked and pained gasp. Louie rolls his eyes after seeing his brother’s response. 

“He’s basically the Flash, Donny. Nobody noticed a thing.”

“That doesn’t mean that it isn’t wrong! You’re supposed to take the hall pass when you leave the classroom!”

Louie simply facepalms. Next to him, Abby and Sonic laugh, clearly entertained by this brotherly dispute.

“So, what _is_ the thing that you’re so excited about, Sonic?” Abby reiterates, after the chuckles subside. It takes Sonic a moment to answer, the thought momentarily forgotten.

“Oh, yeah! You know how spring tryouts are coming up? I was thinking about going for the baseball team.”

The girl’s gray eyes light up. “That’s great, Sonic! I’m so excited for you!” She cheers, bouncing up and down. The boys’ response is less intense, but equally as sincere and encouraging.

“If you get in, we’ll be on the same team!”

“ _‘If’?_ Are you crazy, he’s getting in for sure!”

There’s a warm feeling pooling in Sonic’s chest at his classmates’ words. It feels like he’s flying.

“Thank you,” he simply says to the three humans, his tail wagging. This is so… _wow._ Like a hi-five without hands.

Donny grins. “Do you need someone to practice with before tryouts? I’m busy with the Scouts right now, but I can find some time.”

Sonic shakes his head lightly. “Nah, it’s good. The Donut Lord and I are going to the field later today. Speaking of which…”.

The hedgehog trails off, his emerald eyes focusing on the cars in the loop. A familiar SUV drives by, its horn honking twice.

“That’s my ride,” the speedster announces, grabbing his belongings. He gives his classmates a wave before departing in a flash of blue. “See you guys next week!”

“Bye Sonic!”

The after school rush has mostly died down at this point, meaning that finding Maddie’s car is an easy feat. In less than a second, Sonic gets in the car, closes the door, sets his things down, and buckles in. 

“Hi Pretzel Lady!” He greets happily. 

Maddie smiles. Someone’s excited to go to the baseball field. “Hi Blueberry! How was school today?”

“Great! We started reading _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ today. Louie said I was basically the Flash so that was cool. What’s for dinner?”

The woman can’t help but laugh at the teen’s wildly turning train of thought. “I’ve been wanting to bake cookies recently, but other than that I haven’t got anything special planned. Unless you’ve got a special request…?”

“Chili dogs!” Sonic immediately exclaims. “Can we have chili dogs please?”

Maddie’s grin widens. Of course. “Alright. But only if you help me with the cookies. Deal?”

“Deal!”

* * *

Since discovering an alien in his house, running from the government with said alien, and battling with a deranged scientist, Tom found that he appreciated the calm of Green Hills a little more. Sure, work was still relatively uneventful, but the small-town sheriff was looking at things through a different, more appreciative lens now. Each call was seen as something more, something greater and more important than he would have ever thought. And as for the thrill of chasing down criminals on the beat? Well, it turns out that parenting a hyperspeed hedgehog and hiding him from the government was exciting enough as it is.

A lot of things have changed since that fateful day. But some things, as Tom realizes pulling into the driveway, some things stay the same. Like raccoons getting into your trash cans every day.

“Maddie, the trash pandas are back,” Tom states upon entering the house. Immediately, Ozzie comes scurrying up to him, his bushy tail wagging.

“If you’re planning on using my tranquilizer, I left it at work.” Maddie responds, voice carrying out of the kitchen. “Since I can’t trust you to _not_ use it on innocent creatures.”

Tom rises to his feet upon hearing his wife’s reply. There’s an amused grin on his face. “You are never gonna let that one go, are you?” He asks, sauntering into the kitchen.

“I’m not!” A young voice chimes in. The speaker stands on the table, a hand gesturing to himself.

“No standing on the dining table please, Sonic,” Maddie states, popping the last tray of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. “Did you get those buns like I asked you to?”

At the veterinarian’s words, a guilty look flashes briefly on the hedgehog’s countenance before he zips off the table and over by the oven. He presents a bag of hot dog buns to Maddie, who directs him to place them on the counter next to the cooling tray of cookies. 

“Wait until dinner,” Maddie says, not even needing to peek and to see the hedgehog reaching for a cookie. “That goes for you too, Tom.”

Caught red-handed, the two males draw their hands back from the tray. The smaller of the two pouts before a mischievous light flashes in his eyes. 

“Sonic Wachowski, don’t you dare think about your super speed.”

The alien’s ears shoot up. _“Wha...? Me? Using my speed to steal something? I would never.”_

Maddie simply tilts her head at the space creature, an unamused expression on her face. Narrowed brown irises stare into nervous emerald ones. One long second later, Sonic throws his hands up and pouts again. 

“How do you do that?” He mutters, confused. Tom walks up beside the alien, and places a hand on his head.

“You’ll understand if you ever have kids of your own,” he explains, hand brushing through blue fur. The hedgehog’s muzzle flushes a light pink, his face scrunching up slightly. Tom chuckles softly before giving the teen’s ears one last rub. “Why don’t you help Maddie with dinner, while I get changed and get the gear?”

Sonic stands there for another moment before darting away. 

“Well, hurry up then!” He exclaims, bouncing eagerly on the stool by the kitchen island. “I wanna spend as much time as possible on the field!”

Tom and Maddie share a look upon seeing the space creature’s excited expression. Then, with a smile, the sheriff pivots and heads upstairs. Sonic watches him go before spinning to Maddie.

“So what should I do next?” He asks, beaming. The veterinarian smiles back at him before guiding his focus to the counter. 

“If you could open these and set them on plates for me, that would be great…”

It takes about five minutes for Tom to change out of his uniform and into more casual clothes. When he comes downstairs, he sees Maddie taking the second tray of cookies out of the oven while Sonic washes blueberries in the sink. The alien’s ears perk up at the sound of footsteps. 

This kid is way too cute for his own good, Tom muses. 

“Almost, buddy,” he states. “Still gotta get the baseball gear.”

Sonic’s ears droop. Suddenly, Ozzie barks, the sound causing all three people to flinch slightly. Maddie is the first to speak. 

“He just started barking all of sudden a minute ago. But I looked out the window and there wasn't anything there.” 

Tom ambles over to the canine, a hand brushing against golden fur as he peeks outside. Immediately, he realizes what Ozzie is barking about. 

“What did I tell you? Trash pandas.” The sheriff comments, pushing the curtain back into place. Maddie frowns.

“Thomas, they’re just hungry. Don’t hurt them!”

“I’m just gonna scare them!” Tom shouts back as he grabs a flashlight and heads out the front door. His wife sighs. Beside her, Sonic wears an expression somewhere between tired and entertained.

“He said that last time, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did.”

_“Fun.”_

As the woman and hedgehog ponder on what sort of danger the raccoons are about to be in, Tom follows the path of disturbed trash cans and mud to the shed. While their attic wasn’t crowded with stuff, there were still several things that needed to be moved before Sonic’s room could be set up. The items that didn’t end up getting thrown away or left in the attic were moved into the shed to be sorted out later. 

Upon seeing the shed door ajar, the sheriff’s mouth forms into a straight line. If those raccoons are tearing through their stuff right now, there’s going to be a problem. Clicking the flashlight on, Tom places his hand on the door before slamming it open. 

_“GHSD! Paws in the air where I can—”_

Whatever words the man is about to say next freeze in his throat. Because staring at him from amidst the boxes is a bright yellow-orange thing with two giant tails.

“Um, _hello?”_ It says weakly, large cornflower eyes shifting slightly.

A silence stretches between the two beings for one eternal second. And then reality springs back into focus and Tom screams. Immediately, the creature responds with a shriek of its own. As it recoils back, it accidentally jostles a stack of boxes behind it, causing one of the containers to fall and land on its head. The creature hits the ground, eyes closed. A device of some sorts tumbles from its limp hands and clatters to the floor. 

As Tom stares at the unconscious creature, shock wearing off, he blinks and shakes his head. A thought comes racing into his mind as he hears two voices calling from outside.

“God, I hope I didn’t just kill one of Sonic’s cousins or something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Aw yeah! This is happening!"
> 
> It's been a long time coming, but here is the first chapter of my multi-chapter Gemhog AU fic. This chapter alone is the longest thing I've written for this story, and I hope it meets your expectations. I'm going to try my best to keep to a once a week schedule so you all don't have to wait too long for the next chapter. Big thank you to my beta reader for putting up with my craziness. And a huge thank you and shout out to queenbeanyy on Instagram for letting me use her sunflower sweater outfit for Sonic. Her art is amazing!
> 
> I've packed in some easter eggs for all of you readers. I won't list them all but there's a couple references to Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ducktales. 
> 
> As usual, let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts or questions. Thanks!


	2. scarlet

Doctor Maddie Wachowski would say that she’s a pretty level-headed woman. Broken bone sticking out of a dog’s leg? No problem. Cow giving birth? Sure. A cat’s mangled leg after being crushed? Seen it a dozen times. 

But this, _this_ , is completely out of her zone. Even with her alien son. 

“I’m telling you, _I_ didn’t hurt him! He panicked and a box fell on him!”

Maddie resists the urge to sigh. Instead, he gestures to her husband, wordlessly telling him to give her some space and get Ozzie away please. A couple feet away, Sonic stares silently at the yellow alien. He hasn’t said a word since Tom brought the creature into the house. 

A talking, two-tailed, alien fox. Who broke into her shed. Right. She can do this. She’s had plenty of experience dealing with aliens.

Gently, the veterinarian begins inspecting her patient for any injuries. Everything seems to be intact, no broken bones or punctures in the skin. Breathing and heart rate are… much slower than Sonic’s and she isn’t sure if that’s good or bad. No holes in socks so probably no superspeed. The only thing wrong seems to be the small warm spot on the fox’s head where the collusion must have been. The box wasn’t too heavy, only containing some plastic Christmas ornaments and decorations. 

“Is he going to be okay?” A voice suddenly asks. Brown eyes glance down to see a concerned expression on Sonic’s face. Maddie blinks before responding. 

“He’ll be fine,” she assures. “He’s just unconscious.” 

“Are you going to wake him up? With the salt things?”

That question makes the veterinarian pause briefly. It’s not the question itself but rather the reason behind the hedgehog asking it.

“Yes,” she eventually answers. The speedster breaks eye contact with her and returns his gaze to the fox laying on the dining table. As Maddie begins searching through her first-aid kit, Tom returns from locking Ozzie up. He surveys the scene before speaking.

“So,” he begins. Sonic gives a nearly imperceptible jump at the word before turning to the human, a faintly mirror-like quality in his emerald eyes. The sheriff tries not to focus on it. “Friend of yours?”

The teen’s ears droop slightly. “No,” he answers, sitting down on the chair that he’s been standing on. He fiddles with the hem of his red shirt. Tom realizes that he’s put his gloves back on. 

“Mmm,” the man responds, walking up to the blue space creature. “But he’s from your planet right?”

“Yeah.”

A pause. Blue eyes sweep over the unconscious fox before briefly locking with brown ones. Be careful. 

Tom peers back down at Sonic. “You said you had to leave your planet because people were after your powers right?”

A nod.

“Right. So this fox…?”

Sonic drops his head. “I don’t know. But for what other reason would he be here?”

At the speedster’s words, the room falls into an uneasy silence. Two sets of eyes stare as the hedgehog swings his legs off the edge of the chair.

“So what do you want to do with him then?” Maddie asks, tone carefully neutral. Sonic shrugs, a weak grin on his face. 

“You could tranquilize him and lock him in a dog cage. Keep the streak going.”

While the humor in the teen’s voice is clearly strained, both of the humans roll their eyes at the joke. Tom groans light-heartedly.

“Okay, you’ve made your point. I’m sorry. But that still doesn’t answer Maddie’s question.”

The hedgehog gazes down again, a thoughtful look on his face. Emerald eyes stare blankly before locking with the two humans. “I want to talk to him,” he declares, and the mood sours. “Alone.”

Immediately, Tom frowns. “No. Absolutely not.” He asserts, kneeling down to the teen’s level. Behind him, Maddie watches with a concerned expression. “Look, if he’s really here for you, we are not leaving you in a room alone with him.”

“I beat Eggman. I can handle a fox kit.”

“I _helped_ you beat Eggman. And you nearly died in the process. Plus, who knows what this guy is capable of? What if he’s got superpowers like you?”

Sonic breaks eye contact again, uncertainty flashing on his face. A second later, Maddie crosses over to him, bending down as well. The hedgehog carefully brings his gaze to meet her, pupils wide and round.

“I guess…” he states quietly.

“Are you going to be okay, buddy?” Maddie asks, her voice soft.

“Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not like this kid is the first person I’ve seen from my home planet in ten years and he might be here to harvest me or something, but that’s silly right? Stop talking. No, you stop talking. What were we talking about? Oh, yeah, I’m _great.”_

Before either of the adults can respond, a quiet groan causes everyone’s heads to whip over to the dining table. The yellow fox is clutching his head, his other hand trying to propel himself up. Immediately, Tom stands and places himself in front of Sonic, reaching for a gun that isn’t there. Maddie jumps to her feet, rushing over to the table. 

_“H-Hey! Easy!”_ She states, holding her hands in what she hopes in a placating gesture. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

The fox quickly scans the room, attempting to regain his bearings. His cerulean eyes freeze on Tom—or rather, the person behind Tom. At once, he gets to his feet despite Maddie’s efforts to dissuade him.

“My readings were right! I found you!” He cheers, smiling brightly. His voice is _young_ , more so than Sonic’s, and that fact alone makes everyone feel a bit more uncomfortable. 

“Oh, this is great!” The fox states, oblivious to the anxiety he is causing. He hops off the table and moves towards Sonic, and frowns upon seeing Tom move to better cover the hedgehog. “Um…” the yellow alien starts, head tilting in confusion. His twin tails swish behind him before he lights up again. “Sorry,” he apologizes. His expression turns more serious. Professional. “My name is Miles Prower. I come in peace."

You could hear a pin drop in the Wachowski household after Miles introduces himself. The child—he’s a _child_ —sounds friendly and non-threatening, but foxes are known for being legendary tricksters. Robotnik was fairly cordial before everything had gone downhill. 

Not liking the silence, Sonic jumps off the chair and walks towards the visitor. Tom’s eyes immediately widen but the hedgehog dismisses him with a hand. 

_“‘Miles’_ , huh?” the speedster remarks, testing the name on his tongue. _Hmm._ “I’m Sonic. Are you okay?"

The fox blinks. “I’m fine. Takes more than that to take me down.” He grins. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Sonic. I’ve been looking for you for so long.”

At the child’s words, the fragile smile on Sonic’s face falters slightly. “So what’s the reason for my popularity?” He inquires, attempting to keep the mood light. Tom and Maddie notice how his quills twitch the tiniest bit, and the two resist the urge to move. 

Miles breaks eye contact. “I, uh,” the kit fumbles. “Sorry. I need to ask you a favor. Please.”

Eyebrows raise. “A favor?” Tom asks, finally stepping towards the younger alien. Maddie narrows her eyes at him slightly, her training as a vet currently overruling any fear. 

The visitor lifts his attention to the sheriff—something like fear flashing in eyes. Tom immediately backs up, hands raised defensively.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have startled you.” The man pauses, guilt etched into his expression. “Again.”

Miles’s tails swish behind him, flexing in one fluid motion. “It’s okay.” He draws in a breath before returning his gaze to the blue hedgehog. “Yeah. Mobius is in trouble and it needs your help.”

“My help?” Sonic asks, puzzled. “What can I do?”

The expression on Miles’s face is somewhere between guilt and reassurance. “You have a very unique power,” he starts. Sonic instantly recoils back. 

“So you _are_ here for my powers!” The speedster shouts, ears flattening against his head. 

Miles immediately throws his hands up, head shaking rapidly. “N-No!” He exclaims. A beat passes and he revises his answer. “Yes…”

The hedgehog grits his teeth and throws a dark look at the fox, who is in the midst of yelling several, rapid-fire apologies. “So what, you’re gonna take me back to Mobius and use me as a battery? Figure out what makes me _tick?_ Or just kill me?”

In the midst of his outburst, Sonic feels the familiar energy bubbling up inside of him, summoned by his anger. The teen forces it back down. The last thing they need right now is the government knocking down the door. Clenching his fists, he lowers back down to a normal volume. 

“Did the echidnas send you?” Sonic inquires, bracing himself for the answers. It’s a pointless endeavor as the walls come crashing down at the fox’s tiny nod. Instantly, the lightning flares to life again. Emerald eyes flash into bright cyan, sparks of energy arcing from azure quills. Tom rushes over to Sonic’s side, while Maddie’s attention is drawn to a strange beeping sound. Peering across the table, she sees a light on the fox’s device blinking at a rapid tempo. 

“Let me explain!” Miles cries out, desperation flooding his voice. “If you don’t wanna believe me, then I’ll leave! But please let me explain first!”

Tom answers before Sonic can. “You’ve got one minute,” he declares, glaring harshly at the fox. 

Miles sucks in a breath. “While it is true that we need your power, it’s not because we want to dissect you or anything! The energy that helps keep Mobius alive has been corrupted, causing abnormal phenomena across the planet. Droughts, earthquakes, floods, extreme thunderstorms, forest fires: the planet is literally destroying itself. The echidnas discovered that the way to fix this problem is to reset the planet’s energy with a spark of some kind: some powerful surge that would jumpstart the field and return it to normal!” 

There is a deafening silence as the three others take in the rapid influx of information. Static buzzes in the air.

The lone female is the one who breaks the silence. “And that’s where Sonic comes in, right?” She suggests, a guarded expression on her face. Slowly, Miles's shoulders slump down.

“Yes. I'm sorry.”

Another silence fills the space, this one much heavier and tense than before. The blue electricity begins to fade, but Sonic’s eyes continue to glow faintly. 

“If my power was so important to the planet’s survival,” he asks quietly, “then why did Longclaw keep me hidden?”

Miles does not meet his eyes. “Nobody could have predicted how badly the planet’s energy was going to deteriorate. All she knew was that a tribe of warriors were hunting an innocent child. Maybe it’s the echidnas’ fault for not being more clear, but nobody could have predicted how much our world was going to suffer.”

_“‘Our world’…”_

Tom rises to his feet and steps forward, towering over the fox. “Look, Miles. I get that your world is in danger, but that isn’t any of his concern. The guys who sent you… They’re the whole reason why Sonic _isn’t_ on your planet anymore.”

This time, Miles’s head snaps up. _“You don’t understand! Mobius—!”_

“Is _your_ world, not _mine_. _Sorry.”_ Sonic declares, pivoting on his heels. The humans immediately step forward upon realizing what he’s about to do. 

“Sonic…” Maddie starts, a sympathetic expression on her face. Just as she’s able to reach the speedster, he disappears in a gust of wind. The sound of the front door slamming shut echoes through the house. 

Tom and Maddie stare at the empty space where their son was. A second later, the sheriff huffs and hurries to the front door. There’s a scowl on his face as he grabs the car keys.

“Maddie, keep an eye on our guest here. I’m going after Sonic.”

_“Tom—”_

“Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. Lock him up in the cage if you have to.”

_“Thomas, look—”_

“I have to go. The kid could be halfway across the country by now, and I—”

 _“Thomas Michael Wachowski!”_ Maddie screams, a pained expression on her face. Immediately, the man freezes. The veterinarian draws in a breath, trying to steady herself. “Please just _look_ at him.”

Slowly, Tom forces himself to look down. The fox is shaking, his two tails lying limp on the floor.

“He’s gone,” he says quietly, sounding utterly broken. “I didn’t mean to—Chaos, I'm so _stupid...”_

Miles trails off, visibly trying to hold back tears. At once, Maddie moves to comfort him, stopping short of touching him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she soothes, shrinking down as small as possible. Don’t make yourself threatening, give them space, let them come to you. “Sonic just needs some time to think about this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

The kit doesn’t meet her gaze. “He _has_ to come. He’s the only chance we have to save the planet and if he doesn’t come, everything will… I'm so sorry..."

Maddie studies the child—god, he is really just a _child_ —for several moments before raising her gaze to meet Tom’s. There’s a command in her brown eyes, one that her husband obeys with a sigh. The sheriff walks over to the fox before kneeling down. The haze of anger is subsiding, though it still writhes in the back of his mind. The thought to run after Sonic comes back to his mind, and he forces himself to ignore it. If the kid really wanted to hide, they would never be able to find him. He hopes that he hasn’t taken the rings with him.

Focus. Get as much information as you can.

“Who’s Longclaw?” Tom questions, voice clipped and neutral. Maddie narrows her eyes at him. 

Miles wipes his face with a gloved hand. “She was the owl who raised him and sent him away from Mobius,” he explains. “He didn’t tell you that, I’m guessing.”

“No,” the sheriff replies. It’s a lie but that’s none of your business. “She died?”

The fox sighs, a heavy sound that doesn’t match his physical appearance. It sounds too old. “Longclaw was the last of the Babylon Ancients, an order that maintained peace and helped those in need." He recites methodically. "While she worked with the tribe, she didn’t know everything. So when she heard that they had this orphan baby hedgehog, she assumed the worst and kidnapped the hoglet. It took two years for the tribe to find them. I don’t condone their actions, but I can understand them somewhat. How would you react if one of your closest allies betrayed you and took your only chance to save everything you care about? Maybe they had a right to be angry. And they never _killed_ her; they wounded her but she escaped. They never saw her again.”

At the child’s words, the two humans share a look. A hundred emotions flash in their eyes. Tom returns his gaze back to Miles.

“The echidnas asked you to get Sonic for them. Why you?”

“I volunteered to go. The natural disasters... They've gotten really bad lately. Those who are left are trying to care for others or just survive. We’ve had to abandon islands because it was too dangerous to stay there.”

“How’d you find him?”

The fox grabs his two tails, curling into himself. “I’m really good at building and repairing things. So I made this device that can track certain types of energy. The hedgehog— _Sonic_ —emits an energy that is identical to chaos energy.”

Maddie lifts an eyebrow. _“‘Chaos energy’?”_

“It’s the energy that keeps Mobius alive. And if it doesn’t get fixed soon, everything will be destroyed. I don’t want to force Sonic to go, but…”

“It’s a matter of life or death.” Tom finishes, wearing a sympathetic expression. Miles nods. 

The sheriff pulls a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. Another alien kid who’s stumbled into his house desperately searching for help. And who clearly has some type of psychological issues. When did this become his life?

“Alright,” the man states, getting to his feet. “While I’m not completely sold on your story yet, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. But the guy that you’re trying to convince isn’t here, so I’m going to go and find him.” Tom turns to his wife, who nods back at him. 

“Okay,” Miles replies, body relaxing the slightest bit. 

Maddie offers the child a small smile. “It’ll be okay,” she assures. Tom wonders who she’s saying that to. She turns to her husband, weary understanding on her face. “Go. I’ll wait here with Miles.”

With a nod, the sheriff pushes open the front door. 

“I’ll be back soon,” he utters. 

* * *

Green Hills seems surprisingly devoid of people despite it being a Friday afternoon. Sonic tries not to think about how that’s probably because his sight is blurring. 

Today was going so well. He was going to the baseball field with Donut Lord, Pretzel Lady was making chili dogs, and everyone said that he was definitely gonna make the baseball team. Why did that dumb fox have to show up and ruin everything?

Blue lightning flashes around the edges of Sonic’s vision, building with every heartbeat. Something’s clouding his eyes, and it feels like his body is about to burst. A memory smashes into his mind.

The baseball field. Crying. Blue light and then an explosion of energy that he had no idea he was capable of. 

Immediately, Sonic slams to a halt. The world comes back into focus to reveal towering trees and moss-covered rocks. Scanning his surroundings, the hedgehog recognizes the place at once. Running once again—though much slower this time—the teen finds a familiar crevice hidden amongst several large rocks. He slides into the hole without a word. 

The cave is empty, everything that he’s collected moved into his room in the Wachowskis’ attic. Beams of fading sunlight dapple the ground, the only light inside the dark crevice aside from Sonic’s own blue glow. Even so, the hedgehog is able to pick out the marks and indentations in the wall, years of memories guiding him to them. He lightly presses a hand against several horizontal tick marks against one section of wall, familiarity in his eyes as he follows them from bottom to top. 

He could have run anywhere. But his feet took him here and he sits down on the dirt floor. A place that only two other people knew about, and where they could find him if they wanted to. 

“What should I do?” Sonic asks to the empty air. While he’s used to having conversations with himself, he decides to omit the usual afterimages. He feels like he’s been running for a whole week straight. The hedgehog shakes his head, the lightning now fading to a couple of stray sparks. “Longclaw told me to hide because people wanted my powers. And yeah, some people did, but Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady didn’t. Green Hills didn’t. So maybe she was wrong. So did I spend ten years alone for no reason?”

An arc of electricity shoots off from his quills, brighter and bigger than the others. Sonic quickly sucks in a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. His attempt is far from perfect, but it succeeds in lowering the pounding in his ears. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. 

“Longclaw wanted to keep me safe. She said she found me alone with no parents and took me in. She even died to protect me. So she had to be a good person. But if she was a good person, why did she hide me when the echidnas needed me to save the planet? Did she not know?”

The hedgehog pauses, shaking his head. “Maybe she didn’t know. Yeah. That’s what Miles said. Obi-Wan was cool but he didn’t know the whole story. Like how Darth Vader was gonna turn good and help Luke beat the Emperor. So maybe she really didn’t know and just wanted to keep me safe. Keep a little innocent kid from a tribe of power-hungry bad guys. The bad guys always keep secrets.”

A weak smile forms on Sonic’s face. His quills flicker with a faint blue light. 

“Yeah. Mobius is dying but Longclaw didn’t know so it’s all fine. _Yeah._ I got this _all_ figured out.”

“Sonic?” A voice abruptly calls out. Immediately, the hedgehog screeches, jumping to his feet. Glowing eyes dart around the cave, searching for the source of the noise.

_“D-Donut Lord?!”_

The human squeezes through the cave’s opening with a grunt, flashlight in his right hand. “You’re a hard hog to find,” he greets, a weary but warm look on his face. “How are you doing?”

Sonic kicks the dirt with the tip of a shoe. “Fine.” He crosses his arms in front of himself, fiddling with his Fitbit. All the electricity has made it go dead.

“Uh-huh. And the blue lightning is just some fun mood lighting you installed.”

“Okay! I don’t know how I feel about this. Like, this is all really weird.”

Tom chuckles hollowly. “That makes two of us,” he comments, folding his hands and taking a seat next to Sonic. The man studies the hedgehog for a moment before flexing his fingers and glancing away. “So what do you think of the fox’s story?”

The teenager shrugs and sits down. “Miles said my powers could help save the planet. Maybe that’s why I have them in the first place. With great power comes great accountability, right?”

Tom can’t help but smile softly at the alien’s words. “Pretty sure that’s not how it goes, kid.” 

Sonic waves a hand. “Eh, close enough,” he responds, some of his familiar playfulness returning. A small grin appears on his face before he drops his head. “But it makes sense. I’ve spent my entire life running and hiding my powers, and now I finally have a chance to help people with them. Be proud of them for once. That’s a good reason to go, right?”

Blue eyes survey the dark, empty cave. So many things that had to be carefully moved and packed into boxes. Is that what’s going to happen next?

Tom draws in a deep breath and meets Sonic’s eyes. “That’s up to you to decide.”

“But do you think I should go?”

“I don’t think I should tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. But know that Maddie and I will support you no matter what.”

Sonic glances away, a reserved expression on his face. 

“I… The echidnas killed her. Longclaw. They did that, and I… _I feel like…”_

Eyes snap closed. Tom pulls Sonic into an embrace, a hand gently rubbing his ears. The teenager is shaking, desperately straining to keep a fragile grip on his emotions. His fingers clutch fitfully at the man’s shirt, muffling every shallow breath. Don’t lose control, don’t let go.

“Shhh… It’s okay, it’s okay… I got you,” a voice whispers, soft and kind. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

The speedster wipes his face, though it does little to help. _“N-No._ I want to go.”

“Sonic...”

The hedgehog pushes away from Tom. This time, the glow in his eyes is more focused. Certain.

“E-Everyone deserves a second chance, right? And heroes should always help people in need. It’s what they do. What I should do.”

An empty smile crosses Tom’s face. He's just a child. “Sometimes you can’t help everyone.”

“But I can! I can save their planet! And yeah, maybe some of them killed Longclaw but there are more nice people on that planet! I mean, there are on Earth! Like you and Maddie!”

Sonic pauses, curling in slightly. More tears fall down his face, but slower this time. Like that he knows that the odds have been stacked against him and he’s decided to just embrace it. And not because he’s being forced to. Because somehow, he’s found the strength to still search for the light. To see this as a positive and not a negative when all other reasons should tell him otherwise.

He really does know more about being human than anyone else.

“I should go. I _need_ to go.”

_“So—”_

_“Please. I HAVE to do this. I don’t want to run away anymore.”_

An eternity. A suspension. Tom draws in a breath, and shoves the voice screaming no down. He nods solemnly. “Okay. But I’m coming with you.”

The tiny smile that appears on Sonic’s face is almost enough to dispel the fears in his mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession time: I had a hard time writing this chapter. Writing Miles is difficult. Like he ISN'T game Tails, he's this whole different character with like 20 seconds of screen time from which to build a character. Based on the little we get of him, I'm assuming that movie Tails is much more mature and independent that Sonic 2 Tails. But for those who like the more little brother characterization, stay tuned.
> 
> To the notes! There aren't too many because SPOILERS.
> 
> While I tried to make this chapter my own, you'll probably notice some similarities with HiddenBookShelf's Live and Learn. This fic was one of the stories that inspired me so it really left an impression.  
> Those tick marks on the wall of the cave are a growth chart.  
> If you know your Sonic lore, you probably recognize the words Babylon and Ancients. Two references in one, but it makes sense for an order of bird creatures who work to preserve peace.


	3. azure

In the end, they’d decided to leave that night. Better to get it over with now, fix the problem before it gets worse. Every second more they spend on Earth, a fragment of Sonic’s resolve breaks off. Even now, as the hedgehog watches Miles hold up the ring, Tom can see him swaying anxiously. The fox is about to toss the ring when Maddie comes down the stairs, a bag slung over her shoulder. 

“Maddie, you—” Tom begins, walking in front of her.

“He’s my son too,” his wife interrupts, and that was that.

Sonic stares at the two humans for a moment, uneasiness in his emerald eyes. He slides his free hand on the strap of his red backpack before drawing in a breath.

“So the place we’re going is called… ‘Onyx Island’, right?” He asks, gazing at Miles. 

The fox briefly takes his focus off the ring. “Yes. It’s a large island covered mostly by thick rainforests, and the echidnas’ home island. I’m going to warp us right outside of Mystic City.”

Sonic exhales. “Right. Mystic City.” The speedster’s eyes skim over the ring before moving to his wrist. Which doesn’t have his Fitbit on it because he took it off earlier. Right. 

Miles studies him for a moment, concern spreading across his face.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

A quick smile. “Yeah! Why wouldn’t I?”

Upon seeing the grin on Sonic’s face, the fox swallows and throws the ring. Golden light radiates outward and the image of a rainforest fills the circular frame. 

Miles turns back towards the rest of the group. “I’ll go in first. You’ll want to stay close. It’s easy to get lost in the jungle, and with the natural disasters, who knows what you might run into?”

With that, the fox jumps into the ring. The three others watch him disappear before turning to one another. 

“Last chance to back out,” Tom remarks, trying to inject some levity into this situation. Maddie sighs, and walks up to Sonic. 

“You can hold my hand if you want to,” she states. The teen’s ears perk up, a light shade of pink dusting his muzzle. He stares at the ground intensely before seizing her hand. 

Maddie beams. “Time to go,” she announces, casting a glance back at her husband. Together, the three step through the portal. There’s a light ringing—like the sound of a bell—that fills their ears as they exit on the other side.

The first thing they notice is the overwhelming sense of heat that descends upon them. And how dry the air is. Almost immediately, Sonic is glad that he changed out of his school clothes. He lets go of Maddie’s hand and bounces on his heels, his favorite red trainers bobbing up and down on the soil.

“Maybe I’m wrong, but shouldn’t there be like more rain in the rainforest?”

Miles smiles weakly when he catches sight of the rest of the group. 

“That’s the weird weather for you. It hasn’t rained here in two weeks.” The fox faces forward, scanning their surroundings. He peers down at his device and hits a button on it. The handheld seems to twitch before suddenly folding into itself, compacting smaller and smaller until it becomes a wristwatch of sorts. Miles straps the device onto his left wrist before turning back to the other three.

Tom blinks before shaking his head lightly. He’s seen enough crazy tech for him to not be fazed by this. It seems convenient at the very least. “So which way are we going, Miles?”

“Straight ahead. The city isn’t far from here.”

Sonic tugs at the cuff of a glove absentmindedly. His hands feel warm. “Lead the way,” he directs, staring onward.

* * *

It takes about ten minutes for any signs of civilization to make themselves known. While the walk isn’t long by any means, Tom and Maddie wear grave expressions. Normally, Sonic would be chattering on or running circles around them, but he’s been silently walking for the last five minutes. The moment that someone speaks, the hedgehog winces almost imperceptibly at the sound.

“So what should we expect from these echidnas?” Tom asks, guilt briefly flashing on his face. He throws a quick glance at Sonic.

Miles pauses before answering. “They’re an ancient tribe, ruled by the same family for generations. Under their current chief, they’ve expanded their territories to the surrounding islands. While they are very proud and fierce warriors, the echidnas are also protectors of nature who have many myths and legends.”

The sheriff makes a thoughtful hum. “They sound like nice people.” Maddie elbows him lightly. Miles draws in a breath. 

“I know they sound intimidating but they’re good people. Teek and her guardian are really nice.”

“What about the chief? He’s the one who sent you, right?”

For a brief moment, the fox’s tails stop swishing. Uncertainty flashes in his cerulean eyes. “The chief is nice too,” he finally comments.

Tom tilts his head. “You don’t sound so sure of that,” he accuses. Next to him, Maddie swats his arm.

The kit’s mouth falls open. He swiftly pivots forward, stomping ahead. “Well, just ignore me then!”

A silence settles upon the group. The four travelers continue their trek through the forest. The arid air feels stifling. 

Three minutes later, Miles comes to a halt, the rest of the group following suit. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” He closes his eyes and then reopens them, drawing in a breath. “I… A lot of people avoid me because I have two tails. It’s not…” The fox trails off, swallowing. “ _Normal._ While I don’t always agree with the chief, he’s done a lot for me.”

After the child’s words, Sonic looks up. Memories flash across his mind— _run, hide, keep your distance, don’t let them see you_ —and he wrings his hands without thinking. He isn’t sure of what to say, only that he should say something. After literally shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he decides to jump in blindly with hardly a thought. 

_Just like you always do._

“Miles?” He starts. Don’t chicken out. “For what it’s worth, I think your tails are cool.” Sonic’s shoulders shoot up less than a second later, a blush spreading across his muzzle. “I mean—That was—You don’t have to—I know we just met and you probably think _I’m_ rude and _oh I should really stop now talking, yup, mm-hmm.”_

Surprise passes across the fox’s countenance before being replaced by a small but sincere grin. “Thanks Sonic,” he responds sincerely. The Blue Blur blinks at him before a shy smile stretches across his face.

“No… No problem.”

Another lull—but a lighter one—descends on the four travelers. Sonic walks next to Miles, his posture a tad more relaxed than before.

“So how much farther is it to the city?” The hedgehog inquires, casually scanning the forest. 

“Not much farther. We’ll be there soon.”

Sonic swings his arms once before clasping his hands together. “How do you know which way to go? All these trees look the same.”

The question seems to catch their guide off guard. He ponders for a brief moment.

“Well, I’ve lived on this island for four years. The layout’s ingrained at this point. Plus, it’s easier to figure out where you are when you’re looking down on everything.”

The speedster makes a thoughtful sound. He steps over a fallen branch, the scattered, dry leaves crunching under his feet. A minute later, realization materializes on the teen’s face. “Wait… What do you mean ‘looking down’?”

“Here we are,” Miles suddenly announces, not answering the question. He gestures outward. “Mystic City.” Two quiet gasps escape from Tom’s and Maddie’s mouths.

Giant, ivory, stone pyramids cover the landscape, low walls weaving between them. Echidnas in every shade of red travel about the city, donned in brown cloaks and hurrying to their next destination. Some carry covered baskets, children in line behind them. Others stand stone still, faces covered except for stern eyes that methodically sweep over the area. It is three of these sentries that appear before the Wachowskis, surrounding them.

“Who are you?” one of them interrogates, voice low and heavy. Their arrows glint in the fading light. Tom draws his gun in less than a millisecond, the barrel pointed at one of the echidnas. Maddie is wrapped around Sonic, the teenager clutched in her arms. She tries not to think about how her impulsive, cocky, hyperspeed hero went stone still as the armed echidnas drew in.

 _“Stop!”_ A voice frantically screams. Miles darts into the space between Tom and the guard, waving his hands wildly. “I brought these people here at the request of the chief!” He shouts breathlessly. “They’re going to help us restore the planet’s energy!” 

The guard’s eyes narrow. Fingers tighten around weapons. 

_“Wait!”_ Miles shouts again. He jabs a finger at Sonic, who tries to bury himself deeper into Maddie’s arms. _“Look at him!_ He’s that blue hedgehog that everyone was looking for!”

At the words ‘blue hedgehog’, something flashes in the echidnas’ eyes. They instantly direct their attention towards the speedster. Maddie glares back at them. She bites back a hiss when the hedgehog’s quills prick her. Her breath hitches. He’s never been so terrified that he’s frozen up and curled like this. 

For one, agonizing eternity, the warriors scrutinize the bundle of blue fur in Maddie’s arms. Tom’s finger sits heavily on the trigger, only a thread keeping it up. In front of him, Miles has his arms spread out, his tails lashing wildly. 

“Please.” The fox pleads, cerulean eyes fixed directly on the sentries.

A lifetime later, the echidnas lower their weapons. 

“Apologies,” they say. “We will escort you to the royal palace. Follow us.”

Blue eyes narrow. “Yeah, right,” Tom retorts, scowling. His wife shushes him before checking on their son. 

“It’s okay now, Sonic.”

The teenager doesn’t respond. Maddie’s heartbeat suddenly feels louder than usual.

“Baby?” She tries again, a little louder.

Sonic stares blankly before coming back into focus. His head whips up sharply. “M… _Maddie?”_ He asks, sounding so very small. 

“I got you. Tom and I will make sure that nothing’s going to happen to you.”

The speedster swallows. ”Thank you.” Slowly, he untangles himself from the woman’s embrace, his body still trembling. “Warm welcome, huh?” He comments, his attempt at humor falling completely flat.

Miles gives him a sympathetic and guilty look. “I am so sorry about that. Everyone’s been on edge since… Well…”

Sonic grins. If this were any other occasion, someone might laugh at how fake it seems. “It’s okay. I… Never mind. Let’s just go. No reason to keep them waiting, right?” With that, the hedgehog quickly strides ahead and catches up with the three echidnas. Miles reaches towards him—mouth open—before jogging after.

Tom and Maddie look at each gravely. The latter of the two rubs her arms before rising to her feet. Her husband frowns.

“Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t being careful and got pricked by his quills. I’ll be fine, they didn’t penetrate that deep. It’s Sonic that we should be worrying about.”

Tom places his gun back into its holster. “I knew this was a bad idea…”

Maddie doesn’t say anything at first. She takes a long, deep breath. 

“C’mon,” she says, after a moment. “We don’t want to get left behind.”

The two humans manage to find the rest of the group with little trouble. While their hearts are still pounding—still very much on edge—the sights manage to calm their nerves slightly. Mystic City is even more beautiful up close. However, Tom and Maddie can’t help but notice several piles of brick and scaffolds scattered about the area. Fissures run across the certain sections of the ground, varying in width and depth.

“What’s up with all the construction?” Tom inquires, quietly. Miles turns to him, resignation flitting in his eyes.

“They’re fixing the damage from the earthquake this morning,” he states before facing forward soberly.

“Oh,” the sheriff manages to say. Something like a chill slithers down his neck and he peeks behind him. A hundred eyes stare back at him. Tom realizes that most of them are studying Sonic with a kind of cold curiosity. The kind that flashes in the eyes of a scientist who’s found a particularly interesting specimen. Without thinking, the man walks a little closer to the hedgehog and his wife. 

The three sentries lead the group up the stairs and into a large, sprawling white structure. Upon entering the building, they emerge into a vestibule of sorts. More guards—these ones more armored and ornamented—line the room. As was the case with those outside, these echidnas also stare intensely at Sonic. The hedgehog shifts from one paw to the other, appearing ready to bolt at any moment.

One of the sentries bows before the most decorated guard. They whisper something to each other before the guard’s eyes widen by the faintest degree. Immediately, he nods and taps his spear on the ground. The rest of the guards repeat the gesture, backs straightening. 

“We will take you to see the chief. He has been waiting patiently for your arrival, blue savior.” 

Emerald eyes widen. ‘Blue savior’? Glancing over to Miles, he sees the fox’s mouth formed into a thin line.

“We’ve been searching for you for twelve years,” the child whispers. “You’ve become a sort of myth: the ‘Little Blue Savior’ who will save Mobius.”

The hedgehog glances away sharply. “Cool…” he utters, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Is it just him or did it just really cold all of a sudden? He’s so busy trying not to shiver that he doesn’t notice where he’s going. 

“Sorry!” He apologizes, voice sounding too loud. Several sets of eyes concentrate on the speedster, who raises his arms and throws his most charismatic grin on his face. It takes all of his willpower to not just run right then and there.

One of the guards narrows his eyes slightly before turning forward and kneeling. Miles and the rest of the guards do the same. Upon seeing Tom, Maddie, and Sonic still standing, the fox clears his throat loudly. 

_“Sonic!”_ He hisses. But then the sudden sound of footsteps echoes through the room and his head snaps down.

“It is quite alright, Miles. Thank you for bringing them here.” A deep, booming voice states. Three heads whip forward.

Descending down the stairs are three echidnas, two males and one female. The oldest and largest of the trio walks in the center, dressed in an intricate woven garment and brown sandals. Bronze arm bands and a necklace with gold feathers contrast against burgundy spines and fur. To his right is a young, coral-colored echidna, garbed similarly. A headband detailed with red, green, and blue patterns adorns her forehead. The last of the three is clothed much differently than the others, only a brown cape with white accents draped around his crimson shoulders. On his chest is a white patch of fur shaped like a crescent moon.

“Thank you, guards. Please give us a moment alone with our guests.” The center echidna orders. Without hesitation, the guards file out, steps silent on the floor. Those remaining in the room watch them exit, confusion evident on their faces. They return their attention to the trio of echidnas.

“Greetings, travelers,” the oldest one speaks. Upon noticing that Miles is still on his knees, an amused expression materializes on his face. “Miles, how many times have I told you that you do not need to bow anymore?”

Immediately, the fox’s muzzle reddens a shade and he scrambles to his feet. “Sorry,“ he apologizes, flustered. The echidna laughs, a warm sound that bounces off the walls. 

“It is quite alright, my friend.” He assures, tossing his head. The beads on his necklace jingle with the movement. Recomposing himself, the echidna focuses his eyes on the three visitors. “My sincerest apologies for any trouble that the guards may have caused you. I am Raza, the chief of this tribe.” He gestures to the two on either side of him, a hand landing on the female echidna’s shoulder with an audible thud. “This is our tribe’s priestess, Tikal, and her guardian, Knuckles.”

The newly-identified Knuckles nods his head. His lavender eyes are like steel, completely focused. Across from him, Tikal tilts her head down and clasps her hands together. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, blue savior. We are… beyond grateful for your assistance in repairing our world. Thank you.” 

Maybe it’s nerves, maybe it’s displeasure, but Sonic finally musters up the courage to speak. “Sonic,” he utters softly.

Tikal’s eyes flick up. “Come again?” She sounds… surprised? 

The hedgehog drops his arms. Cold. “My name is _Sonic_ ,” he repeats louder before donning a small smile. He pauses before adding, “Nice to meet you.”

Raza bows, grinning sincerely. “Sonic. You have my people’s eternal gratitude.” The chief gestures to the two humans. “And your names are?”

Tom is the first to speak. “Thomas Wachowski,” he introduces, “This is my wife, Maddie.” The man takes the woman’s hand. “We’re Sonic’s,” parents, _“friends.”_

Coward.

Beads jingle again, knocking against one another as a head tilts down again. “It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Likewise. Are you all doing alright? I heard that there was an earthquake today.”

The chief chuckles hollowly, the same kind of resignation in his eyes. “We will manage as we always have done. Ever since the planet’s energy became corrupted, we have learned to adapt. I gather by your presence here that young Miles has informed you of our people’s plight, yes?”

Sonic sucks in a breath and nods. “What do I have to do?” He asks, voice steady.

Raza smiles again. “Tomorrow morning, we will take you to the shrine. Tikal…” he continues. The priestess straightens up at the sound of her name, a perfectly poised expression on her face. “Will guide you through the process to restore the planet’s energy.”

Maddie blinks, processing the information. “Tomorrow morning?” She repeats, tilting her head. “Can’t he do it today?”

The chief shakes his head. “The shrine is located further in the jungle, a ways off from the city. While any of my people could easily take you, it would still take some time to get there.” He glances away, a shadow falling over his navy eyes. “Nature’s wrath… is more wild in the darkness of night.”

“I see…” Maddie states, her expression softening. Raza studies the group for a moment before clapping his hands, startling the group slightly. Three female echidnas enter the room, lining up at the back wall.

“Come. I am certain that this day has been rather shocking for all of you. My servants shall show you to some rooms where you can set your belongings down and rest. I will send a messenger to come fetch you when the banquet is ready.”

Even Miles seems mildly surprised at the chief’s words. “Banquet?”

Raza chuckles again, a twinkle in his navy eyes. “Of course. We must celebrate the coming of our little blue savior.”

* * *

The servants show the group two rooms: one for the humans and one for the hedgehog. 

“I don’t trust them,” is the first thing that Tom says after they walk away. Maddie frowns. 

“Thomas…”

“They tried to kill us! And now we’re supposed to have dinner with them? How are we supposed to know that this isn’t a trap or something?”

“They’ve been through a lot. Their planet is literally destroying itself. Just give them the benefit of the doubt here. After tomorrow morning, we can go back home. And besides, you used to be just as trigger-happy as they are.”

The sheriff runs his hands through his hair before dropping them to his sides. “I… Fine.”

His wife smiles and gives him a peck on the cheek. “I love you, babe.” Tom murmurs back a reply as he sets his backpack down on a bench-like bed of sorts and starts rummaging through it. He needs something to do with his hands. Maddie turns her focus to the youngest member of her family. Her face drops when she sees the teenager swaying back and forth, backpack still on and pouch of rings clutched in his hands. Anything to keep from standing still. Without saying a word, the woman closes the distance.

“Alright, bring it in, tough guy,” she invites, sitting down and spreading her arms wide. Sonic studies her for a moment before accepting the offer. 

“It’s okay to be scared,” she consoles, rubbing the top of his head.

“I’m not _scared_ ,” Sonic protests. Maddie feels him quivering slightly in her arms, and she bites her tongue. “I’m analyzing the situation like any good superhero does. And this situation has made me slightly nervous.”

“Ah. Of course.”

The hedgehog shifts, snuggling in. When he speaks again, his voice is softer and more hesitant. “They all seem nice. Which is weird ‘cause I remember them being kind of menacing. They had weapons and everything. I didn’t expect them to be nice. And friendly. They gave us a room and are throwing a banquet. For me. They didn’t have to do that. It’s nice. I said that already.”

“First impressions aren’t always correct.”

“I know that. But it is bad that I kinda wished that they were evil? It would have made this easier.”

Sonic drops his focus to the ground, wearing a grave expression. He shuffles, blinking once and then twice. Like there’s something in his eyes.

It only takes a few seconds of staring at his frown for Maddie to decide that he isn’t allowed to be sad. Not her lovable space creature. She dons a playful grin. 

“You know, Miles kind of reminds me of you.” She comments a few seconds later.

Confusion floods the teenager’s face. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Maddie only beams brighter. She moves her hand to one of the speedster’s ears, stroking the incredibly soft fur.

“Well for one,” the woman begins, “he’s got big, fluffy ears like you.” 

Immediately, Sonic blushes and reaches up to bat away her hands. His actions only succeed in making the Pretzel Lady giggle.

“And,” she continues, undeterred and still petting his ears. “He’s got a cute, little, black nose like you.” Before he can react, the veterinarian lightly taps the end of Sonic’s nose. The hedgehog sniffles, squirming back.

“H-Hey!” He shouts, looking oh so menacing with his lovely pink muzzle and floppy ears. “I’m not cute! I’m a ball of super energy in an extremely handsome package!”

The woman simply laughs again. “Oh yes, how could I forget. You aren’t cute like Miles.”

This time, Sonic lets out a sputtering noise. _“Wh-What?”_

“No, the word I’d use to describe you is _adorable!_ ” She proudly declares before squeezing the hedgehog.

“Ack! _Mo-Maddie!”_ His pleas only result in Maddie planting kisses on his face. 

“My little, _ticklish_ Blueberry.” The woman sings, before moving in for the attack.

It’s super effective. The Blue Devil instantly falls to her assault, dropping his rings.

“St-Stohop!” He cries out, trying and failing to escape her tickle attacks. His eyes land on Tom standing nearby, who is wearing a giant grin. _“Da-Donut Lord! Help!”_

“Sorry, buddy, but I don’t mess with the queen.”

_“Wha-? You-! Get over here!”_

The two humans laugh, clearly enjoying this situation. Their fun ends however, when someone knocks on the door. In less than a millisecond, Sonic races out of Maddie’s arms. 

“I apologize for the disturbance. May I come in? It is Raza.” A deep, masculine voice calls through the door. There’s a brief silence in the room. Maddie’s eyes sweep over to the other side of the room, where the speedster is curled up into a ball under the bed, red backpack beside him. 

_I’m not opening it,_ Tom mouths to his wife. She observes Sonic again before picking up the ring pouch and returning her gaze to her husband. 

_What did we say about giving them a chance?_

At the woman’s narrowed eyes, the man raises his arms and heads towards the threshold. He draws in a breath to recompose himself before opening the door. 

“Chief Raza, this is a surprise. How can I help you? Should we come down for the banquet?” 

The echidna smiles. “Hello, Thomas. No, the banquet is not quite ready yet. It will just be a few more minutes. I just wanted to offer my sincerest thanks and apologies.”

Tom raises an eyebrow. “Apologies?”

“There is a certain measure of decorum and formality that chiefs must follow. That is all fine and such…” Raza trails off, shifting positions slightly. “But this occasion called for more. My people have brought so much heartache to Sonic. Nothing we do will change that. But maybe this can be the first step towards amends.” The chief presents a small, gold ring to the human, who studies the object with a critical eye. 

“Many years ago, rings were a naturally occurring resource on Mobius. However, since the corruption of the planet’s energy, they stopped forming. We only have three left. Two of them I gave to young Miles… and the last one I give to Sonic.” 

Tom’s eyes widen at the echidna’s words. He steps back. “Chief, we— _he_ can’t take this. You need it more than he does.”

Raza seizes the human’s hand, and thrusts the ring into his palm. “Please. I insist. It is the least we can do. What _I_ can do.”

Upon seeing the chief’s sincere and remorseful expression, the sheriff simply nods. “Thank you,” he replies solemnly. Raza nods back. 

“You are welcome. Please give my gratitude to Sonic and your wife.” With a small bow of the head, the echidna pivots and heads back down the hall, his heavy footsteps echoing on the stone. Tom watches him walk away before inhaling and shutting the door. He turns to face the two others in the room. 

“You can relax now, buddy. He’s gone.”

The blue ball rocks back and forth once before rolling out from under the bed. There’s an endless silence as Sonic stares at the two humans with large emerald eyes. “So,” he starts, “what are you gonna do with the ring?”

Tom slips the ring into the pocket of his jeans. “Probably add it to your collection.”

“Cool.” Sonic switches his weight from one foot to the other.

The man observes the hedgehog for a moment before walking up to him. “You’re a brave kid,” he compliments. Sonic is taken aback. 

“You’re kidding, right? I completely flipped out there! I said I wasn’t going to run anymore and yet I just did!” The speedster inhales sharply, hands clenched into fists. “Argh, I’m such a _loser!”_ He exclaims, shutting his eyes.

“Hey. Eyes on me.” When the teen doesn’t respond, the sheriff repeats the command, still kind but a little more firm. This time, Sonic raises his head, cyan bleeding into his eyes.

“You are not a loser. You willingly came to a place to help people who hurt you before, and you’re going to save a planet. That’s being brave.”

Sonic slumps his shoulders. “It doesn’t feel like it.”

The sheriff smiles. “Well, sometimes things don’t move as fast as you. You just gotta be patient.”

At the mention of the word ‘patient’, the Blue Devil groans. “But that’s so _hard!”_

“Hey, if you can get an A on your Civil War exam, you can do this.”

Sonic sighs. He kicks the floor, his shoe scuffling the light-colored stone. When he looks up, his eyes are a bright emerald. “Okay. I can do this.”

Maddie ambles over to the two males, a smile on her face. “Alright, you two. Why don’t you help me pack before they come and get us?”

Sonic’s ears perk up. “Pack?”

The veterinarian pulls a smaller messenger bag out of her backpack. “I’m not bringing this whole thing with me tomorrow. Plus, I want to freshen up a little before the banquet.”

Tom and Sonic blink once before turning to one another. The taller of the two saunters over to the woman without a word. Sonic simply stares at the married couple, head tilted to the side.

“This is some parent thing that I won’t get until I get older, right?”

Maddie and Tom simply chuckle. “Yes, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short note for all of you today.
> 
> Oh boy, I had a fun time with this chapter. Lots of exposition and different moods. Also new characters and Sonic and Miles relationship building!
> 
> Leave any comments, critiques, or questions below! See you next chapter!


	4. saffron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There is some profanity and violence in this chapter. You have been warned.

Even though Raza has described the event as being a small, private affair, it still feels as though the entire city is in attendance. 

Two servants usher the Wachowskis to a woven mat. Nearby, the chief sits on a stone platform at the end of the room, Tikal and Knuckles flanking his side. Sonic’s eyes scan the room, searching for yellow fur. Where’s Miles? After a few seconds, he finally finds the fox, sitting alone in the back of the room. The hedgehog is about to call out when the servants return. Plates of food are placed in front of them: some recognizable, some not. The sight of one familiar dish makes Sonic’s eyes sparkle, thoughts of Miles momentarily forgotten.

“Is that _guacamole?”_ He inquires, excitedly. At the servant’s nod, the teen immediately scurries in a circle, only appearing as a streak of blue to those nearby. He squeals in delight, throwing his hands up before pride and anxiety kick back in and he immediately plops down. “Ahem, yes, I would like some, please.”

“...Of course,” one of the echidnas manages, after a moment. She blinks once, and then again for good measure. “You may partake of any of the food here. Please let us know if you require anything.”

Upon hearing the girl’s words, Tom and Maddie share a look. You have no idea what you’ve just done.

“Sweet!” Sonic cheers. “Can I get some extra tortillas please? Is this chicken or turkey? What kind of tortillas are these? What’s that brown drink over there? Is it hot chocolate, it looks like hot chocolate but kinda different. What’s—”

“Okay!” Maddie cuts in, sitting and placing her hands on the hedgehog’s shoulders. The servants look absolutely lost. “Why don’t we give them a chance to answer first?”

The speedster freezes, eyes widening a shade. “Oh.” Instead of his usual confident grin, a shy smile crosses his face. “Sorry about that.”

“It is alright,” one of the servants replies, eyeing Maddie’s hands. “The drink you inquired about is called _xocolatl_. It is a special drink made of ground cocoa beans that is reserved for special occasions. The chief requested it to be prepared for this celebration.”

“Oh, awesome!” Sonic exclaims, taking a swig. His ears immediately perk up. He was not expecting _that_ flavor. It tastes kinda funky. “What are we celebrating?”

At once, the servants blink again. They look at each other before grinning. 

“You,” they say, sounding both amused and surprised. 

“Oh,” Sonic responds, popping the word. A light pink spreads on his muzzle as he sets the cup down. “Right. Thank you.”

The two servants bow. “It is our pleasure,” they sing, before walking away. 

Tom’s eyes follow the two before they return to Maddie. “Well, they adapted pretty well.” He takes a seat on the mat and glances over to the speedster. “Kid?”

Sonic laces his fingers together. “This is really all for me?” He asks, sounding so small. Maddie taking one of his hands in hers, eyes sweeping over the celebration.

“It looks like it. Are you happy?”

The hedgehog pauses, tilting his head from side to side. His emerald eyes land on a plate of tamales in front of him. “...Yes? Nobody’s ever done that before. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you make amazing dinners and I love them but this is a lot. They expect a lot from me. What if tomorrow I can’t do it?”

Before either of the humans can respond, Sonic abruptly shoves an entire tamale into his mouth. Five seconds later, a familiar voice booms across the room. Dozens of echidnas suddenly pause and stand to attention. A moment later, the visitors realize that they should probably follow.

“Good tidings, comrades,” Raza opens, words easily carrying across the space. “Today is a momentous day. It is my great pleasure to announce the arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog to Mystic City.” The chief gestures to the blue hedgehog, who flushes red. “Let us all welcome the blue savior who will restore our planet to its former glory and power!” 

Almost immediately, the crowd erupts into cheers. Sonic initially flinches at the noise before pasting on a nervous grin. 

The two humans share another look. 

Raza lifts a cup, guiding others to do the same. Slowly, the Wachowskis lift their glasses as well. Across the room, Maddie notices that Tikal does not pick up her cup until being prompted by her guardian. Curious. She takes Sonic’s cup and exchanges it with her own. Tom and Sonic give her a puzzled expression.

“This one’s yours. You mixed it up with mine.”

While Tom and Sonic give her a puzzled expression, they drop the matter. She’s probably just being paranoid.

“To Mobius!” The chief shouts.

 _“To Mobius!”_ The crowd yells back.

“To our future!” 

_“To our future!”_

“And to the eternal glory of the clan!”

The roar that the crowd offers back is deafening. Sonic’s emerald eyes shift around the room before he sips gingerly from his cup. It’s possible that he didn’t get a good sampling of it earlier, but the drink tastes different this time. Maybe it needs to like sit or something? The hedgehog takes another sip, less cautious. Yeah, it tastes better. Huh.

The rest of the banquet passes by in a torch-lit haze of food, song, and people. Sonic remembers dancing, loud voices, red spines, and more food than he’s ever seen in his life. Chattering on with two tails. A smile and then a giggle. And then full laughter. Someone lifting him in their arms, strong but gentle and familiar. 

“Alright, bedtime. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Wha…?” He states groggily. “But Tails hasn’t answered my question yet!”

_"'Tails'?"_

"Eh, I'll come up with something better later. C'mon, put me down!"

 _“_ _Miles_ needs to get to bed. And so do you.”

“No, I wanna stay up and enjoy the city nightlife! I’m not—!” Whatever the speedster is about to say is cut off by a large yawn. “Okay, you didn’t see that.”

The voice grins. Can a voice grins? “Sure, munchkin.”

Sonic releases an annoyed sigh, but doesn’t protest as Tom moves him slightly so that his head is against the man’s chest. The rhythm of the man’s heartbeat, slow and even, thickens the fog inside the hedgehog’s mind. It’s getting harder for him to keep his eyes open. 

A couple steps away, Maddie apologizes to Miles. 

“Sorry. He can be a little… blunt sometimes, pardon the pun.”

The fox folds his hands. “It’s okay,” he replies. A small grin appears on his face. “I think he’ll find that it’s pretty apt, not just for that reason.”

Maddie smiles back at the child. “So where’s your room? I’m sure Sonic will want to talk to you again tomorrow.” 

Miles’s expression drops. “I don’t live in the palace. My workshop is a little ways outside of the city.”

The woman’s eyes widen. “You don’t… If you don’t mind me asking, Miles, how old are you?”

Yellow tails swish nervously. “It’s not really a big deal, Mrs. Wachowski, I’ve been living on my own for a while.”

“How _old_ are you, _Miles?”_

At the veterinarian’s tone, the kit breaks eye contact. “Eight,” he answers, after a beat.

Immediately, Maddie sucks in a breath. Oh _no._ Absolutely not. “Alright, that’s it,” she announces. “You’re coming with us.”

“W-What?” Miles squeaks, head snapping up.

“The chief gave us two rooms, and we’re only going to end up using one. You said it yourself, the forest is dangerous.”

_“B-But…!”_

Tom chuckles quietly. “You’re not gonna win this one, Miles. Trust me.”

After a moment, the fox sighs. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Wachowski.”

“You’re welcome. And please, ‘Tom’ and ‘Maddie’ are just fine.”

Now with four members in their party, the Wachowskis exit the banquet and head back to their guest rooms. The two servants guiding them offer a candle as well as some additional blankets and pillows. Tom and Maddie gladly accept the items. Before the duo leave, they throw a brief, critical glance at Miles.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“Ignore them,” Maddie interrupts, ending the thought. She gestures to the door to the other room. “Here you go. Your own room in the royal palace. Let us know if you need anything, okay?”

Miles smiles shyly. “Thank you so much.” 

“No problem,” the woman answers. “Good night.”

Turning back to Tom and Sonic, Maddie opens the door to their guest room. Moonlight streams through the window, illuminating the area. Tom sets the candle down before lowering the half-asleep teen onto the bed. Realizing that Maddie is slipping his shoes off, Sonic’s muzzle scrunches up, his mouth set into a frown. “I’m not going to bed,” he declares, ears flattened. 

At the speedster’s defiant statement, the veterinarian slides in close on the other side of the bed. It’s a little awkward, considering that the bed was probably not made for creatures of this height, but she manages. Tom’s going to have a fun time with these. Pulling Sonic close, Maddie begins lightly drawing circles behind his ears with a fingertip. The teenager’s eyelids begin to droop, unable to resist anymore. 

“Hey,” Sonic mumbles, pouting. “That’s not… No fair, Mo…” 

Tom and Maddie gaze at the sleeping boy with smiles on their faces. The latter of the two presses a kiss to Sonic’s forehead before letting out a yawn of her own.

“Tired?”

“Mmm. I guess I’ll follow Blueberry off to dreamland.”

At the woman’s words, Tom leans over and gives her a kiss on the lips. “Good night. I’m going to take a quick walk outside before turning in.”

“Please don’t do anything stupid.”

The man flashes her a smirk as he picks up the candle and heads out the door. “I won’t.”

Maddie shakes her head slightly. In the darkness of the room, a small smile crosses her features. “What am I going to do with you, Thomas?” She mutters before pulling the blankets over her and her son.

* * *

Compared to the commotion from earlier, the quiet of Mystic City at night is a jarring contrast. But hailing from a small, rural town, Tom finds the silence comforting. While there are few torches lighting the buildings, the sky above is filled with beautiful stars. A half moon hangs above, bathing the world in a silvery-white hue. 

Not wanting to get lost, Tom hangs close to the palace. Avoiding the sentries, he ventures up the sides of the pyramid, eventually coming to rest on a step partway up the structure. Buildings sprawl out before him, the dark rainforest framing the city. It’s a breath-taking sight, and the sheriff snaps a photo with his phone. Sonic would love to see this.

Tom pauses. He slides the phone back into his pocket. Sonic would love to see _this._ That’s the question he’s been avoiding this whole time, isn’t it? THIS. 

What if Sonic wants this? What if he decides that he likes it here and wants to stay? It doesn’t seem like it’s likely to happen, but it’s a very real possibility. 

No, the man corrects. Realizes. Not a possibility. A _fear._

Because that’s what this feeling is, right? Fear that he could lose Sonic somehow: either to evildoers who want to abuse his powers or to a world that he ultimately belongs to. There are people like him here. Not on Earth. It’s much more likely that he’ll be accepted here. 

What is he going to do if Sonic wants to move back here? Is he going to want to bring all his stuff with him? The vision of an empty attic, a quiet house, chills his heart and he draws in a breath. God, it hasn’t even been a year, and he can’t imagine Green Hills without its Blue Devil. In the short amount of time since his grand reveal, the little cryptid has brought so much life and joy and excitement to the whole town. He means so much to everyone. And then one day, he just wouldn’t be there anymore. If he stays here on Mobius, he’d probably take the rings with him. He always keeps them nearby, either in his room or on his person. They’re all he has from his mother. 

Tom draws in a breath. There’s another big word. Where do him and Maddie fit into all of this? They’ve both heard the teen nearly call them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ on multiple occasions. But he always catches himself. Every time, Tom tells himself to wait. He’s been an orphan for ten years since his adopted mother died. It’s going to take some time before he opens up again.

The sheriff laughs breathlessly. If you would have told him a year ago that he’d be sitting outside a palace on an alien planet, pondering the future of his alien son, he would have driven you straight to the ER. But somehow, by some miracle or cosmic joke, this is his life now. 

Scanning over the city again, Tom crosses his arms and mentally reprimands himself for not bringing a jacket up here. The nightly chill has set in, exacerbated by a sudden gust that whooshes through the air. Next to him, the candle sits dark, extinguished by the wind. The man rubs his hands together once, before deciding to head back inside. As he rises to his feet, movement in the corner of his vision snatches his attention. He squints, trying to make out what or who it is. 

It looks like a group of echidnas, which isn’t really a surprise until he recognizes one of them by their brown and white cape. 

_Is that Knuckles?_

As quiet as a mouse, Tom creeps down the side of the palace, attempting to get a better view. The entire group is wearing hooded cloaks, four of them clutching torches and spears. Tom’s eyes widen when one of them turns, revealing a familiar face.

_Chief Raza?_

Raza appears to converse with another echidna before marching forward. The rest of the group follows, the torches illuminating their way. As they stalk away, silent as shadows, Tom notices one of them holding a large, brown bundle in their arms.

His blood turns to ice. 

In an instant, Tom scales the pyramid, racing inside. As he runs back to the room, breaths becoming quicker and shallower, there is only one thought on his mind. 

_“Sonic!”_ He screams, flinging the door wide. Even in the low light, he discovers his worst fear coming true.

Maddie startles awake, brown eyes rapidly searching the room. “Tom? What’s going on?” 

Hardly a second later, Miles bursts through the open threshold. “I heard yelling. Is everything okay?”

Tom simply stares at the space next to his wife, heartbeat deafening in his ears. It’s empty.

_“The echidnas took Sonic and rings!”_

* * *

“Ugh… Five more minutes, please.”

If you were to wake up and all you could see was pitch-black darkness, you might think several things. For Sonic, he assumes that there’s a blanket covering his face. Cloth and quills—and nightmares—don’t really go well together, and so he’s gotten used to occasionally waking up tangled in his bedsheets. But when he realizes that he can’t push the blanket away and it is surrounding him on all sides, nervousness starts to set in.

“Donut Lord?” He calls out, keeping his voice level. Sonic can feel the bag he’s in— _trapped_ in—moving. “If this is a joke, it’s a terrible one!” 

The only response he gets is a minute change in acceleration. A slight slowdown before returning to normal speed. Sonic forces his panic down. It’s okay. Just breathe. They’ve put you in a bag before and yeah, it was the _worst,_ but that was because they had to sneak you in. Don’t think about how you’re in an enclosed, dark space and you don’t know what’s happening, and _no, no, no, no, don’t go there, what did we say?_

“Okay, ha ha, you win, Donut Lord. Happy now? C’mon, let me out!”

At the lack of response, panic pushes at his fragile grip. He swallows, trying to clear the lump in his throat. “Pretzel Lady?

Silence.

"Tom? Maddie? This isn’t funny anymore.”

Another silence. The speedster’s already fast heartbeat quickens. 

“I’m sorry if I did anything wrong. Please open the bag. I don’t like this.” Breaths now coming in shallow and quick, Sonic tries to use his quills to cut through the fabric. But he quickly discovers that he can’t curl up into a ball. His arms and legs are tied together. _No, no, no, no, no._ “Tom! Maddie! He— _Ow!”_

Sonic lets out a yelp of pain as the bag is abruptly deposited on the ground. Muffled whispers come through the darkness, his ears managing to pick out “dose”, “it”, and “sleep”. Fabric rustles around him as someone opens the container. The hedgehog sucks in a breath as color floods his vision. His eyes immediately focus on a familiar face. 

“Tikal?” He gasps. “Wh-What’s going on? Where are we?”

The girl’s mouth curls into a strange smile. It reminds Sonic of something. Someone. “We are at the Altar of the Emeralds,” Tikal explains, gesturing behind him. “This is where the Master Emerald and seven Chaos Emeralds are kept.”

“Chaos Emeralds?” Sonic repeats. The words feel strange on his tongue. Like a weird case of déjà vu. Pivoting the best he can with his bound limbs, the teenager catches a glimpse of several gray emeralds— _diamonds,_ Maddie insisted—scattered on the floor. One of them is much, much larger than the others. 

“There are only six Chaos Emeralds,” Sonic comments without thinking. Where did that come from? “You said there were seven.”

Before Tikal can answer, someone cuts her off. “That is enough.” A familiar voice interrupts. Sonic’s eyes lock on to a hooded figure behind the priestess. 

“Chief Raza?” He asks, beyond confused. His focus moves to the individual next to the chief. “Knuckles? What’s happening? Why are you all here? Why am I here? Where are Tom and Maddie?”

Knuckles turns away sharply, his hood covering his face. Behind him, four cloaked figures hold torches and spears. The sight stirs up a memory in Sonic’s mind, and his breath hitches. He glances back at Tikal and then the chief, eyes wide. “Tikal? _Chief?”_

The only sign that Raza gives that he has heard any of Sonic’s questions is a slight rise of the head. “Priestess,” he utters, the name somehow sounding like a command. “It is time. You know what you must do.”

Tikal goes rigid. Slowly, she clasps her hands together, fingers interlaced. “I’m so, so sorry, Sonic,” she utters, voice soft and breathless.

Sonic forces a breath through his uncooperative lungs. “S-Sorry for what?”

The priestess gives the strange smile again. This time, the hedgehog recognizes it. It is the same look Longclaw had the last time he saw her. A goodbye. Almost reflexively, his mind jumps to the rings. He doesn’t have them.

“For this,” she whispers, before drawing in a shaky breath. 

_“The servers are the seven Chaos…”_

Sonic has no idea how he knows this, but something _shifts_ at the girl’s words. At once, every hair and quill on his body stands on end. A burst of heat races down his back and he cranes his neck to look behind him. Weak light emanates from the emeralds, each stone surrounded by an transparent orb of a different color. Green, red, blue, yellow, purple, and white. 

As the teenager sits mesmerized by the emeralds’ light, deep in the farthest corner of his mind, a lock begins to turn. At the same time, unbeknownst to the teen, his quills begin to emit a glow of their own.

Raza’s eyes are fixed on the display. “Continue,” he commands. The priestess sucks in another breath. 

A second wave flows through the air. The emeralds start rising in the air, the smaller stones forming into a circle around the larger one. Despite their glow, the actual surface of the gems remains a dull gray. As if they’ve been drained of color and life.

Sonic’s ears perk up. _Life?_ A strange emotion fills his mind, cold and hot but mostly cold. In an instant, he becomes aware of something buzzing on his skin. It takes him less than a millisecond to recognize the sensation. The warm feeling fluttering in his chest—wait, when did that happen?—immediately disappears, replaced by something like icy fingers on the back of his neck. Cyan irises shrink ever so slightly.

_What… What am I DOING?_

With the fog thinner, Sonic finally hears the alarm bells screeching on the other side of his mind. Sure, the emeralds are pretty and shiny but you’ve still been kidnapped, idiot! How did you forget that? Finally lucid, the bound speedster starts to push against his restraints. 

_“Chaos is power…”_

Shortly after he starts to resist, something twinges painfully in the back of Sonic’s head. With his limbs immobilized, he’s unable to brace himself and ends up crashing down on the ground. Each breath comes out shallow and fast, the sound seeming to echo around him. The emeralds float above him: green, red, blue, yellow, purple, white. His own cyan glow blends into the rainbow of light.

_Wh-What is this?_

A foreign, frigid feeling radiates from within Sonic’s chest, provoking another uproar in his still hazy mind. His heartbeat is suddenly deafening in his ears. Now in full blown panic mode, he flails about, desperately trying to free himself and get away, _get away._ His electricity and speed—his greatest weapons—do not respond to his commands. Whipping his head forward, the hedgehog glances at the echidnas with frightened, glowing eyes. 

_“H-Help!”_ Sonic cries. “Tom! Maddie! Anyone!” This is just another terrible dream, wake up, _you have to wake up!_ The speedster shakes his head rapidly, trying to clear his mind and ignore the horrible echoes. Voices hiss in his ears. _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

At the teen’s outburst, the girl lets out a gasp, eyes widening. “Sonic, I—”

 _“Continue,”_ the chief interrupts, tone leaving no room for compromise.

“But he—”

Fingers tighten around the shaft of a spear. _“Continue_ the _prayer,_ priestess.”

New tears pool in cobalt eyes. An endless moment later, the ritual resumes.

_“P-Power enriched by the h-heart…”_

Less than a second after Tikal utters the line, another avalanche sweeps over Sonic’s body. Panic turns into absolute horror as he realizes that his limbs have gone slack and that the ground is somehow moving away from him. His sight is blurring and he’s floating above the ground and he doesn’t know how to react because he can’t think _._ He’s going to end up like those emeralds. She’s draining him of his power and he’s going to die. And then they’re going to throw him away because nobody wants an empty battery. _Oh god, oh god, oh god._

 _“Tikal! Knuckles! Chief Raza! I’ll do whatever you want! Just stop!”_ The teenager wails, the icy sensation spreading to every part of his body. He can’t feel his hands or feet. Everything is going dark and it’s cold and he’s alone, _no, no, no, NO. “PLEASE! I’ll do anything! Just please stop! ST—”_

 _“The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos!”_ Tikal rapidly finishes, turning away sharply. The altar goes deathly silent.

“Well done,” someone compliments, an eternity later. It sounds hollow, like an empty container.

Slowly, the priestess looks. 

Sonic’s entire body pulses with a crackling, blue aura. Sparks occasionally arc from his quills, the electricity burning fabric and rope. His eyes are illuminated with a light, almost white, shade of cyan. The blank, emotionless expression on his face is an eerie contrast to the pure fear from only seconds ago. He stares at Tikal, dead eyes peering into her very soul. 

_“S-Sonic?”_ Tikal asks, voice nearly a whisper. The response to her question seems to come from everywhere, overlapping and echoing inside her mind. 

**We are Chaos** , it says. Somewhere in the mix of voices, the girl recognizes Sonic’s, drained of all its liveliness and humor. It lags a beat behind the other six, as if it hasn’t found the tempo yet. Unnerving. Unnatural. Her blood freezes. 

“No,” she gasps, pupils dilating. _“No, no, no…”_

**For uniting us once again, our power is yours to command. What is your wish?**

Behind Tikal, Raza’s mouth forms into a frown. “What are you _doing?”_

“What have I done? Sonic, I d-didn’t… _I didn’t mean to…!”_ The priestess steps back, shaking her head.

**What is your—?**

_“NO!”_

At the girl’s scream, white light floods the altar, blinding the echidnas. When the world stumbles back into focus, the emeralds and Sonic lay unceremoniously on the ground, back to the way they were before the ritual. Tikal stares at the unconscious speedster with eyes before finally collapsing to the floor. Immediately, Knuckles hurries to her side, trying to console the sobbing girl. 

Raza stares at the priestess and then the hedgehog with a scientific eye. His expression is apathetic.

“I was right,” he muses aloud. “Longclaw. She thought she could hide the emerald from me.” The old echidna casts a glance at Sonic and the emeralds. He hastens over to Tikal. “Get up,” Raza orders, undisturbed by her tears. “You must change it back to its true form.”

Tikal does not respond, still deep in her sorrow.

 _“Get up,”_ he barks again, this time more aggressively. He pounds the end of his spear on the ground to punctuate the command. Knuckles glances at his leader with a concerned expression.

“Chief Pacahacamac, with all due respect, I don’t think—”

 _“Silence!”_ Raza bellows, his voice echoing off the dark, cold stone. No one dares to even breath as the chief narrows his eyes at the younger echidna. “You would do well to remember your place, guardian,” he emphasizes. “Are you so quick to forget what I have done for you?”

A beat. A reflection. Knuckles lowers his head, and slowly rises to his feet. Shadows fall over his lavender eyes as he wordlessly moves to the side, barely curbed anger tensing up his body. A pleased smirk stretches across Raza’s face at the response. 

“Now, where were we?” The chief comments, returning his focus to the crying Tikal. Before he can continue however, an unexpected intrusion causes the entire group of echidnas to freeze. 

_“What’s going on?!”_ Tom shouts, bounding up the stairs with Maddie and Miles on his heels. At once, the four hooded guards move to barricade the entrance. The three stop, stepping back slightly. Tom rapidly scans the quartet before sharpening on something blue peeking out from behind two cloaked shapes.

 _“Sonic?!”_ Tom exclaims. He immediately attempts to push past the guards. The man catches sight of another figure on the floor. Their hood is pulled back, revealing a female echidna with a familiar headband. “Tikal? What’s going on?”

At the sound of her name, Tikal flinches and rapidly turns to look behind her. Before she can speak however, a figure steps in front of her.

“Thomas, Maddie, and Miles,” Raza greets, voice slippery as a snake. He grins, all teeth and fangs. “I am glad to see you.”

“What the _hell_ have you done to Sonic?!” Tom demands, fists clenched. This is all his fault, he shouldn’t have left them alone inside the room. 

“Nothing,” the echidna replies, smooth as can be. “It seems that he was curious about the energy cores and foolishly touched them. Their corrupt energies surged through his body and rendered him unconscious. The priestess sensed the disturbance and upon finding him here, summoned us to help.”

Maddie narrows her eyes. “How did he get here?”

The chief’s minute pause is all that the two humans need. In one swift, fluid motion, Tom and Maddie draw their weapons. Instantly, the guards brandish their spears, surging to protect their leader.

“Let us not be rash here,” Raza states, one hand raised and the one wrapped around a spear. “This is all a misunderstanding.”

“Give us one reason to,” Maddie retorts, brown eyes like flint. She points the can of pepper spray at the guards. Next to her, Tom skips the grunts and aims straight for the boss. 

Miles’s eyes switch rapidly between the humans and the echidnas, his expression uncertain. His twin tails are raised behind him like two gold wings.

The friendliness on Raza’s face melts into some form of concern. “Because,” he starts, sounding as if he’s only being mildly inconvenienced by all this, “I’ll let you come and look at Sonic yourselves.” 

The chief steps back, directing the guards to do the same. The echidnas’ shadows look like the twisted limbs of trees, a gnarled forest between the humans and Sonic.

_Sonic._

_Sonic!_

_“No!”_ A high-pitched voice shrieks. Tikal runs to Raza’s side, clamping her hands over his. _“Don’t do this, Father!”_

The world freezes.

 _“‘Father’?!”_ Tom repeats. 

“Please!” Tikal pleads. “I beg you! Too many lives have been lost because of your greed! This power was not meant to be controlled!”

 _“ENOUGH!”_ The chief roars, wrestling his hands free. “Your compassion and weakness will bring our tribe to ruin! You will never be a great chief if you continue to act so _weak!”_ Without warning, Raza slams the blunt end of his spear against his daughter’s head. The girl falls down hard on the stone.

 _“Tikal!”_ Tails and Knuckles both scream.

Raza spins to face Tom and the others. His icy eyes flash in the torch light, a predator closing on his prey. The game is over.

“Kill them,” he orders.

The altar erupts into mayhem. 

In an instant, Maddie unleashes the can of pepper spray on the advancing guards. At once, the four echidnas stumble back, choking and wheezing. 

_“Hurry!”_ The woman yells to Tom and Miles, dashing towards the center of the altar where Sonic lies jarringly still. She does not get very far however, as Raza swiftly moves to block her way. When she attempts to spray him as well, the echidna knocks the can from her hands. Before the chief can deal her a fatal blow with his spear, someone punches him in the jaw.

 _“Get away from my family, you son of a bitch!”_ Tom yells, shoving the echidna to the ground.

The two males wrestle as Maddie looks on with shocked eyes. A moment later, reality catches back up to her and she scrambles to check on Sonic. His body feels like ice. Immediately, she scoops him into her arms. A split second later, a streak of yellow snaps her attention up.

“Miles! You… What the _hell?”_

Out of nowhere, Miles has literally flown into the fray. Against all laws of aviation and anatomy, the fox is _flying_ in the air by spinning his twin tails. He hovers above Raza’s head before abruptly dropping down. Blinding Raza with his tails, Miles reaches down towards the chief’s belt. At the same time, Tom pins down the echidna’s legs and. The chief roars, thrashing around wildly. He reaches up and squeezes Miles’s tails in a vice-like grip, causing the kit to yelp. Raza jerks his arm, flinging the fox across the altar. He lands with a sickening thud against a pillar.

 _“Miles!”_ Tom cries. His brief lapse in concentration in all that the chief needs to retaliate. He punches Tom in the stomach, sending him reeling before throwing him aside. Raza leaps to his feet, no worse for wear. 

“You will both regret that,” he threatens, positioning his weapon for the kill. The chief rushes forward but is once again stopped in his tracks. He barely has time to regain his bearings before narrowly dodging a spiked fist. 

_“Knuckles!”_ He exclaims, shocked. “You _dare_ betray your _chief?”_

The younger echidna simply narrows his eyes and continues his onslaught. “You lost my respect when you attacked your own daughter.” 

As the two echidnas trade blows, Maddie hurries to her husband. She does her best to help him up with one hand, the other still cradling the unconscious Sonic. Tom groans, in pain and attempting to catch his breath.

“We have to go now!” The woman exclaims. She has no idea how long the pepper spray will keep the guards down or how long Knuckles can keep Raza occupied. Maddie’s eyes dart over to the dueling echidnas before landing on the yellow shape against the pillar. Something twists inside her chest, and she curses. Damn her compassion and concern. 

“Take Sonic and throw the ring!” The veterinarian barks, nearly throwing the teenager into Tom’s arms. She races towards the other side of the altar, picking up the injured fox. 

The man scarcely has time to catch the hedgehog. “What are you—?”

“Just do it!” 

Tom frowns, but nevertheless complies with his wife’s order. Digging into the pocket of his jeans, he fishes out the ring and tosses it, the thought of safe Green Hills in his mind. Gold light floods the altar, seizing the attention of everyone there. Raza wheels around immediately.

 _“NO!”_ He bellows, shoving Knuckles to the side with all of his might. The chief sprints towards Tom and Sonic, eyes blazing with murderous fury. _“I will NOT lose it again!”_

Raza tackles Tom, forcing him to the ground and sending Sonic tumbling from his hands. The sheriff narrowly gets to his feet in time to counter the chief’s assault. 

_“Tom!”_ Maddie shrieks. Her pupils shrink down to pinpoints when she sees the ring start to shrink. “No!”

“Ugh… Wh-What’s happening?” A weak voice groans. Maddie’s head whips down.

“Miles! Are you okay?” 

The fox rubs his head, grimacing. “Just a little light-headed. But I got you a present.” Miles lifts a hand, revealing a familiar brown pouch. “You’re welcome.”

Everything is absolutely _insane_ right now, but Maddie can’t stop the breathy laugh that bubbles out of her at the child’s tiny, self-satisfied grin. Smug little man. “Okay,” she refocuses, plan forming in her mind. “Do you think you fly and carry someone at the same time?

Miles blinks. “Uh, maybe?”

“Well, you’re gonna have to. Take Sonic and get out of here as fast as you can. Use the rings.”

“What about—”

Maddie sets the fox on the ground. “I need you to make sure nothing happens to Sonic, okay? We’ll catch up. Now go!”

Despite the concerned expression on his face, Miles obeys and flies over to Sonic. He throws the ring before hoisting the speedster up with both hands. The fox pauses in front of the portal, green grass behind him.

 _“Go!_ ” Maddie orders, running over to the other side of the altar. Tom is barely holding his own against Raza. While the human has the size advantage, he is no match for the enraged chief of a tribe of warriors. His gun lies uselessly on the ground. Entering the battle, Maddie sneaks up behind the echidna and clamps down on his legs.

“Now!” She shouts, while the chief is distracted.

At his wife’s command, the sheriff launches his strongest punch directly at the echidna’s face. His fist connects with a gut-wrenching crack. At once, Raza stumbles back, eyes watering, before falling to the ground. 

The two humans stare at him for a brief moment before running towards the ring. Tom runs into the portal, while Maddie pauses when she catches sight of something crimson. Not again. She scoops up Knuckles, who protests immediately.

“Unhand me! _Tikal!”_

“Quiet!” Maddie retorts, hurrying towards the shrinking portal. “I'll get her in a— _shit!”_

The woman slams to the ground, barely managing to keep her grip on Knuckles. Her heart nearly stops when she turns and discovers a guard looming behind her.

How did he recover so quickly?!

Swiveling back around, she sees the portal beginning to close. In the shrinking frame, Miles attempts to pull Tom away from the ring.

“You won’t be able to escape!” The fox shouts.

 _“Maddie!”_ Her husband screams, desperation and fear flooding his voice. 

_“Tom!”_ She cries back. There’s no more time, but she’s still got one crazy idea. One more to save. Maddie fixes an intense glare at Knuckles. “You better explain everything to them, or _else. Especially Sonic.”_ She threatens. Before the echidna can answer, the woman raises her arms and uses all of her strength to throw him into the portal. A moment after he sails into the ring, the light fades into darkness.

 _“I love you,”_ Maddie whispers. Behind her, footsteps grow louder until they stop. Drawing in a deep breath, the human turns and looks up at the echidnas’ furious faces.

The last thing she remembers before everything goes black is Raza’s emotionless stare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I drew some info from Mayan culture for this chapter. Tamales, avocados, xocohatl, and tortillas were all dishes that they ate. As for why Sonic thinks the xocohatl tastes weird, well, drugs will do that. Both Maddie and Sonic get a dose of it, but it doesn't really do much, as the latter has super fast metabolism and the drug isn't dosed for the former.
> 
> We finally get to see Miles in action! And the nickname 'Tails' is finally given.
> 
> I spent quite a bit of time on the whole prayer sequence. How would Sonic react, given that he doesn't consciously know that he's an emerald? I decided that the prayer would initially have this calming effect on him before the incongruity of the situation (he's still tied up and kidnapped) would make him freak out. Kind of like in Chapter 2 of emerald green. As for the whole, "We are Chaos" scene, Sonic's been forced back into the emerald hive mind. But not completely, as shown by the fact that he's a little off tempo. The reason why everything went back to 'normal' when Tikal screamed was because in her head she was regretting all of this and wanting to undo it.
> 
> Leave any comments, questions, or concerns below. See you next chapter!


	5. lavender

Abby asked him one day, not long after he started attending school. The pink ribbon tying back her hair was coming undone and she looked at him, innocently curious. Friendly small talk. The kind that kids have when they’re getting to know one another. 

_“Why do you like running so much?”_

He didn’t know how to respond, at first. His initial thought is that he likes running, loves it. The feeling of the wind whooshing through his fur and quills, colors blurring around him: there is nothing like it. He feels like a shooting star, soaring above the clouds. Nothing holding him back. Untouchable. Unlimited. 

Except… that wasn’t really true, was it?

Because despite his speed, despite the fact that he could run across an entire island is less than two seconds, he was never really free. 

_It’s not safe,_ Longclaw says, when he asks if he can go outside. 

_Maybe tomorrow morning,_ she says, when he asks if he can see the sunrise. 

_Don’t,_ he says to himself, when he wonders if he could get a little closer. 

Not all prisons are made of bars and steel. Sometimes, they’re just words and fear. For someone with so much power, he finds himself feeling afraid often. Stifled. Suffocated.

And so, he paces. It’s just that when he moves, his energy crackles like a live wire and it just all turns into running. He’s always moving, always moving to another hiding spot—another perch far away and safe from danger. He needs to run. If he stops, the walls will push in and he won’t be able to breathe. Running is the one thing that he can control.

He glances at Abby. Dons an easy smile. Pretends like everything’s fine. He’s good at that. 

_“It’s fun. Why do you like reading?”_

* * *

There’s a quiet whisper in his ears, close and far away at the same time. Like waves breaking on a sandy beach. Slowly, Sonic opens his eyes. The world comes back in a bright flash and then little slivers as he fumbles back into alertness. His mind feels weird and fuzzy, but he figures that because he’s woken up from another strange dream. Rubbing his eyes, the hedgehog’s vision gradually comes back into focus to reveal a familiar face.

“Do… Donut Lord?” He asks, still half-asleep. Less than a millisecond after uttering the nickname, Sonic’s world goes dark again. Something wraps tight around his torso and head, pulling him close. A rapid heartbeat and shallow breaths. Sniffles. There’s something wet on his fur and soft fabric pressing against his face. 

_“Sonic.”_ Tom heaves through tears, his head resting atop the teenager’s. _“Oh, thank god.”_

The tone of the human’s voice causes a lump to form in Sonic’s throat. He doesn’t like the way that Tom said his name, so relieved and poignant and _pained._ Like it was a vase that broke and was messily glued it together. The intimacy and suddenness of this whole exchange makes Sonic’s stomach somersault, and he tries to review his memories for what could have brought this on. But his mind keeps resetting back to the wild dream. 

“Donut Lord?” He tries again, softer and hesitant. Gradually, he returns the embrace. “Um…”

It takes a minute, but Sonic can feel Tom’s arms pulling back. Enough to give some space but still close by. Protective. The speedster looks up into the man’s blue eyes, finding them red-rimmed and watery. A single question escapes from his lips.

“What happened?”

Tom takes in a tired breath at the query. 

“What do you remember?” He eventually responds.

Sonic blinks. “Tails took us to Mobius. Met the chief and priestess and guardian. There was a banquet. We went back to the room and I fell asleep. And then…”

“And then?”

The hedgehog drops his eyes down. Fiddles with the cuff of a glove. It seems… _unkempt_ somehow. “I had a weird dream,” he finally says. “Which isn’t really new, ‘cause I have crazy dreams a lot. Not a lot. What was I saying? Oh, the dream. I was at this weird temple with these emeralds. Tikal and Knuckles and Chief Raza were there. Tikal started saying this weird chant thing—or song thing, maybe it was a song—and everything started glowing. _I_ started glowing and floating, can you imagine? And then there was a flash of light, and I woke up. Here. With you. Where is here anyway?”

Without giving Tom a chance to answer or move, Sonic crans his neck to survey their surroundings as best as he can with his semi-obstructed view. 

Almost immediately, his breath hitches.

“Is this…” he begins, eyes staring at checkered, green grass. Cascading waterfalls roar in the distance as the morning sun bathes the land in warm, amber light. The scent of seawater fills the air. _“Is this…?”_

The sheriff nods, a stiff gesture. Confusion floods Sonic’s face at once.

“Why are we here?” The hedgehog inquires. His eyes suddenly widen. “Did they not think I could do it?”

“I took us here because the echidnas won’t be able to reach us. We’ll be safe here.” A new voice answers. Sonic’s ears perk up, recognizing it.

“Tails?” He asks, twisting around. The fox stands close by, Knuckles flanking his right side. A moment later, bewilderment appears on Sonic’s face. “Wait, what do you mean ‘safe’?”

Miles’s shoulder slump. Knuckles’s gaze shifts away the tiniest bit.

Cold slithers into the hedgehog’s stomach. “Tails?”

The fox doesn’t meet his eyes. “That wasn’t a dream, Sonic. It really happened.”

At the kit’s words, the speedster blinks, leaning back. “No,” he says. “No, no, no, no, _no.”_ A half-hearted smile appears on Sonic’s face, fragile as a dandelion puff. “You’re joking. ‘Cause that would be the craziest thing ever. Like the echidnas actually kidnapped me and stuffed me into a bag. _Ha._ Ha ha. You’re funny, Tails.”

Miles’s tails lay limp on the ground. Next to him, Knuckles looks down. Tom doesn’t say a word.

Seeing their reactions, Sonic sucks in a shallow breath. Pupils shrink down to pinpoints. _“N-No._ No, it can’t be true. _Please tell me it’s not true.”_

The silence is deafening. 

“Knuckles? Tom? Miles?”

 _“I’m so, so sorry, Sonic.”_ The kit whispers. “It’s all _true.”_

A pause. Sonic stares at Knuckles and Miles, and then Tom. The sky. The grass. Something’s missing and he wants—doesn’t want—to know.

_He runs as fast as he can and time slows to a crawl. But when he reaches out the feathers dissolve into gold light and it’s dark and he’s so very, very alone._

“W-Where’s M—?” He chokes before he can finish the word. _Don’t tell me, tell me, please, I can’t, you have to—!_

A shadow falls over Tom’s face. “The portal closed before she could make it through.”

For one eternal moment, the world holds its breath. Stillness. It slams back into motion with a shrill, keening cry. 

Sonic’s teal eyes fly open, the dam shattered into a million pieces. “You—! _Y-You—!”_ He gasps, voice breaking. His fur and quills bristle as he points accusingly at Miles. _“You lied to us! I trusted you!”_

In an instant, the fox throws his hands up, pupils tiny dots amidst an ocean of white. “I never lied to you, I swear! Everything I said to you was true! The echidnas didn’t tell me anything about their plans! They used me to bring you here!”

_“Why should I believe anything you say?”_

“Because if you’re looking for someone here to blame, it should be me.” Knuckles interjects. “Miles doesn’t know the whole story.”

_“Oh, and you do?!”_

_“Yes._ I was one of the chief’s most loyal warriors. It’s why he selected me to protect his daughter. And entrusted me with certain secrets known only to a few.”

Sonic freezes. The flame flickers. Knuckles stares back at him, arms crossed. His lavender eyes are like steel. A mountain that has weathered many storms. 

_“I…”_

As Sonic struggles to cobble a reply together, Tom speaks. His voice sounds old and weary. Resigned. 

“Please,” he implores, voice balancing on a knife’s edge.

The guardian raises his eyes to look at the human. He closes them briefly, drawing in a steadying breath, before opening them again. 

“Long ago, when Mobius was first formed, the gods forged seven ingots from the dust of creation… the Chaos Emeralds. Tribes fought over possession of these powerful stones, which were said to bend space and time. Create portals across the universe. As endless conflict waged across the planet, one hedgehog sacrificed herself to save the life of echidna from another tribe. For her sacrifice, the gods transformed the girl into an emerald with the power to control chaos. Wielding the emerald, the echidna ended the war and became the first guardian of the Emeralds. The tribes agreed to live in peace, with the echidna clan and the order of Babylon Ancients working together to preserve peace across the planet. For generations, Mobius was in harmony. The stories of war and the emeralds faded into myth. Until one day, the newest echidna chief became obsessed with the legends of old. Why should his clan be confined to an island when they were chosen by the gods to protect their treasure? And so, the chief began to invade and conquer other lands. But even as his empire grew, he was not satisfied. He craved more power: the power that has his own people had sworn to protect so long ago. As the chief plotted to take the emeralds and rings, people rose up and attempted to dissuade him. When their pleas fell upon deaf ears, one individual—the last of the Babylon Ancients—resolved to end this on her own…”

_Even in the dead of night, red still explodes against green. She lands soundlessly at the base of the shrine, the white stone cold beneath her talons. The pouch of rings is hidden against her side as her eyes pick out crimson spines at the top of the steps._

_Slowly, the owl alights the stairs. Her pace is casual, easy. Nothing that will betray the crime that she is about to commit—and the one that she already has._

_There are four guards keeping watch at the altar. A confused look briefly passes over their faces but it disappears after a moment. She visits the shrine often, whether it is to visit the priestess or as part of her normal surveys. Despite her speaking out against the chief, it seems that the guards still trust her. How fortunate._

_Gradually, she walks closer to the center of the altar. The eight emeralds pulse with a mystical glow, their warm light washing over her feathers. Green, red, blue, yellow, purple, white, and cyan._

_Behind her, the rest of the city is fast asleep. Trees rustle in the breeze._

_She only needs one. Without all of them, he won’t be able to utilize their full power._

_The Master Emerald is too large to take. It must be one of the smaller ones._

_One of the guards steps towards her. His pace is neutral but she can hear how heavy his steps hit the floor. His fingers curling tighter around his club._

_“The priestess has retired for the night, Ancient. She is the only one who may touch the emeralds.”_

_“Of course. My apologies.”_

_Before the guard can react, she draws her weapon and stabs him in the arm. Scarlet stains the ancient blade, blood oozing from the wound._

_As the guard stumbles back, the other three surge upon her, roaring in fury. In an instant, years of experience flood into her mind and she counters the trio’s assault. She strikes them down with nonfatal blows. If she kills them, she will be no better than the one she is trying to stop._

_In her endeavour not to fatally injure the guards, she finds herself fighting against her training. She does not dispatch them as swiftly as possible, and they manage to call out for help. Torches ignite across the city at the commotion, swarming towards the shrine._

_She is out of time._

_Sheathing her blade, the owl reaches for the nearest emerald. She shoves the cyan stone into the stolen pouch before spreading her wings wide._

_When the chief and his warriors reach the top, all they find are four injured guards, seven emeralds, and a couple of stray feathers. Looking skyward, they see a dark shape against the full moon. The chief raises his bow and fires a single arrow into the night. A moment later, he hits his mark._

Knuckles pauses. He glances at the other three before continuing.

“The chief and his warriors followed Longclaw to an atoll off the coast of Onyx Island. Christmas Island. They searched for her and the emerald but were unable to find either of them. Weeks passed, and then months, and they still could not locate Longclaw. His patience gone, Chief Pachacamac decided that he would use the emeralds that they did have.” 

“I’m guessing that didn’t end well for him, did it?” Tom suggests. The guardian narrows his eyes at the feeble attempt at levity.

“The Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald act upon the emotions and wishes of those wielding them. The absence of the cyan emerald combined with Chief Pachacamac’s negative emotions drained the remaining seven. This in turn caused the imbalance of energy and the natural disasters.”

A silence descends upon the group as they take in the echidna’s words. 

“So… The part he said about Mobius’s energy being ‘corrupted’ was true then?” Miles eventually says, quietly. Knuckles nods solemnly.

Sonic curls his fingers around the fabric of Tom’s shirt, fiddling with the cloth. “Longclaw never told about this,” he mumbles, an unclear expression on his face. 

At the hedgehog’s statement, Knuckles inhales, unsteady and loud in his ears. It shouldn’t… _He_ shouldn’t be learning about it like this.

Fingers curl tighter. “Was Pachacamac gonna use me to _fix_ his mistake? How was _that_ supposed to work, _huh?”_

Slowly, the guardian points his eyes directly at the speedster. In an instant, cold realization crashes down upon him.

He’s… 

He’s just a _child._ An innocent, frustrated child. 

The guardian steps back, heart beating like a drum. “I…” He fumbles, looking away. A recent memory slams into his mind.

_“You better explain everything to them, or else. Especially Sonic.”_

Knuckles stops. He forces a deep breath into his lungs. It feels like daggers, slicing at his insides. 

He has a duty to fulfill. A command to obey. For her and Tikal, he needs to do this. He deserves to know. It has been too long.

“It would have worked because the emeralds can draw power from each other,” the echidna finally says, voice carefully level.

Sonic snorts, a humorless and hollow noise. “You literally just said that the emeralds were drained.”

Knuckles uncrosses his arms, flexing his hands. “Not all of them. The cyan one still has all of its power.”

“Yeah, the one that you guys couldn’t find that Longclaw _supposedly_ stole and _never_ told me about. Really, how do you expect us to—”

_“You are the emerald, Sonic.”_

With one sentence, time stops. 

_“...W-What?”_ the hedgehog whispers, an eternity later. His pupils are pinpoints.

The guardian turns away, unable to look the child in the eyes any longer. “The emeralds respond to thoughts. Longclaw must have wished to hide the emerald, and it transformed itself into a shape that no one would suspect.”

A pause. A suspension. A lifetime stretches by in a single second. 

Cold.

“That’s why the ancient prayer affected you. It’s passed down through the royal family, and they use it to control the emeralds’ power.”

“No… No, no, no, _no.”_ Sonic curls inward. The air buzzes around him, heavy with static. A vice clamps around his heart and lungs. _“No!”_

 _“I’m sorry.”_ The apology sounds distant, registering only after echoing from across a cavern. Somebody else steps forward, uttering something. Words. He knows the meaning of words and that he should listen but it all sounds like metal scratching against glass. The speedster pounds his head against Tom’s chest, trying to ignore the voices inside his mind.

_“You have a power unlike anything I have ever seen.”_

_“We are at the Altar of the Emeralds...”_

_“He has been waiting patiently for your arrival, blue savior.”_

_“And someday, we’ll find out why.”_

_“You said there were seven.”_

_“No!”_ Sonic screams, hands grasping fitfully at his ears. The whole world’s spinning, dizzying and spiraling of his control. _“No, no, NO!”_

Everything is moving away from him, figures dissolving into colored blobs. Pressure builds inside his body, crushing him down. The voices— _lies_ —still scream. Every sound is deafening, his ears ringing a cacophonous clamor that threatens to cleave his very mind in half. Dark, gray waves surge forward, pulling him down, down, _down,_ because he can’t swim and maybe that’s because he’s actually—

_N-No, DON’T THINK ABOUT IT! You’re a hedgehog, why are you panicking, this is fine, everything’s FINE!_

_“—possible?!”_

_“—back to its true form.”_

_“—amn mind! He’s not—!”_

_“Shut up! Shut up, SHUT UP!”_

Sonic wrestles out of Tom’s grasp, stumbling forward before collapsing to the ground, his limbs not working the way they should. A single impulse rips through his rapidly-fracturing mind like a rampaging monster, and he forces himself up on all fours. He needs to escape from here, go back to Green Hills where everything’s _normal_ and _happy_ and there’s a school and a house and a bed and it’s _fine, HE’S FINE!_ _Get up, you need to GET UP and run. Away from here! Anywhere! RUN, RUN, R—_

_He never questioned his ability to run at such incredible speeds. Why electricity crackled from his body when he was especially emotional. It was just a part of him. Something he simply accepted. What made him special._

_Green, red, blue, yellow, purple, white, and…_

In an instant, reality screeches to a halt. He shrieks, sobs obliterating his weak hold.

Light explodes around him as his fingers claw at the grass, yanking up clunks of vegetation. He rapidly screws his eyes shut, unwilling to look at the horrible sight in front of him. Blue, blue, blue. Everything’s _blue_ and he _hates_ it, hates his body because it’s _blue_ and _why is everything blue?_

A stabbing pain burns through his palms and he yelps, recoiling back as the sound of cloth ripping fills the air. The shock jostles the world into some semblance of clarity and he sees a shape dashing over to him. It’s Tom. He doesn’t know how he knows, but it can only be him. 

_“—ic! Look at me, buddy, I know you’re hurting, but I need you to try and calm down, okay? Please, let me help you.”_

A hand reaches towards him, heart-wrenchingly familiar. His quills rapidly flex and relax as he struggles to silence the discord in his ears. The scent of ash overpowers sugar and grass and leather as someone gently picks up his arms. Blue and white but mostly _blue._ Numb and cold and blue and _wrong._

_“Da—!”_

_“I’m here, buddy, I’m not leaving you…”_

Slowly, Tom lifts Sonic’s hands. His skin pales as he stares at the small extremities. 

Confused, the hedgehog follows the man’s eyes. Immediately, he sees them, flickering in time with the unbearable ache pounding in his head.

Protruding from the rips in his gloves are tiny crystals that pulse with a faint light. Cyan. Cyan like the galaxy in his dreams, like his emotions that detonate into lightning, like the voice in his head that says that Knuckles is telling the truth and it’s not a voice, it’s a _memory, it’s tr—NO!_

Eyes slam shut again, pleading to purge the sight from memory. He rocks back and forth, words repeating in an endless, empty loop in his mind. _It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s NOT REAL,_ he desperately chants, straining to cling to a truth that is unraveling right in front of him. As if this is all just another dream that he can wake up from.

But the blue that saturates every corner of his mind, every voice in his ears, and grows across his flesh like weeds obliterates any hopes he has for normalcy. He was never a normal child. Now, it seems that he was never even a child to begin with.

**We have been waiting for you, brother.**

All of reality shatters, fracturing into a million jagged, crystalline pieces.

Warmth spills down the speedster’s face as he bends in the middle, curling up by sheer instinct. Each breath comes in ragged and choked and useless as he feels himself suffocating under all this weight. His heart threatens to break through his ribs as everything blurs into nothingness. 

A long, heart-wrenching wail erupts from Sonic’s throat, echoing across the island. It only ends when the child’s lungs are empty, his body dark and still amidst the charred grass.

It’s quiet on South Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get some focus on Knuckles here. Hopefully, I'm writing him okay. My characterization of him is this loyal, disciplined, respectful person who takes his duties very seriously. He has endless patience for tasks that relate to his responsibilities but he still has moral standards and strong opinions. He just withholds his opinions when he doesn't perceive them as important to the situation. When he does speak, he's very honest. 
> 
> The section where Knuckles details some of the mythology was a challenge for me to write. I feel like it might be out of place in this chapter. Let me know what you think.
> 
> According to interviews and the Sonic the Hedgehog Technical Files, Sonic was born on Christmas Island. I wanted to reference that here. The island that we see in the beginning of the movie (as well as where Baby Sonic lives with Longclaw) is South Island.
> 
> Questions, comments, and concerns below please. See you next chapter!


	6. ivory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There is some profanity and implicit reference to suicide in this chapter. You have been warned.

The sun shines down on South Island. Above, seabirds squawk and fly through the air, diving down into the waves to hunt their prey.

Miles sits alone on the cliff, his legs crossed under him. His muzzle is marked with dried tear stains. He is so caught in his thoughts that he doesn’t hear the sound of footfalls or notice the movement by his side. When a voice breaks the silence, the fox flinches back slightly.

His new companion has the decency to look guilty as he watches Miles recompose himself.

“Sorry,” Knuckles apologizes.

“It’s okay,” the kit responds quietly, returning his gaze to the horizon. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks fills the salty ocean air as the two figures stare out into the distance. Nothing but endless water before them.

Miles pulls his tails closer to his body. “Where’s Tom?”

“He’s with Sonic.”

A beat. 

“How is he?” 

Hesitation. “He’s stopped crying. His eyes are still cyan.”

“...I see.”

Another beat. 

“Knuckles?” Miles hazards, a minute later. The echidna doesn’t react, and the fox sighs before continuing anyway. “What will happen if Sonic doesn’t,” he seems reluctant to say the name, “If the _seventh emerald_ doesn’t rejoin the others?”

Knuckles crosses his arms, wearing a grave expression.

“The other emeralds will stay lifeless and the natural disasters will continue. They’ll continue to worsen, growing more destructive and affecting more and more of the planet. And then one day, everything will cease.”

“W-What do you mean?” Miles asks, voice nearly a whisper. The older of the two closes his eyes.

“Think of the emeralds as the foundation of our world. Our universe. Cosmic keystones that hold everything together. Take them away and Mobius—and then _everything_ —will crumble.”

The guardian’s words hang in the world for several seconds. Then Miles heaves a breath into his lungs, heavy like a boulder. “So it really is a matter of life or death,” he finally says.

“Yes.”

Miles wraps his tails closer to his body. He feels fresh tears starting to form all over again.

Suddenly, a frustrated roar sounds from his right, causing the kit to recoil.

Knuckles bares his teeth, hands curled tightly into fists. “We can’t just sit around here! They could be _dead_ for all we know and… _RrrRAAAGH!”_

The echidna roars again. He thrusts a fist into the ground below and then the other. The rock trembles with each repeated impact, cracking into uneven lines. At once, Miles scrambles to his paws.

“Knuckles! S-Stop!”

The pounding continues. Miles reaches out and seizes a crimson arm, holding it in place with all his might. “This isn’t going to _change_ anything!” He exclaims.

 _“SILENCE!”_ Knuckles bellows, throwing a final punch with his other hand: one, heavy blow that resounds across the cliffs. The echidna clenches his eyes shut, breaths coming quick and ragged. Gradually, the blaze simmers down into a smoldering fire. 

Miles relinquishes his grip on the guardian’s arm. Moisture falls down his face, and he sniffles, wiping it away. He’s surprised that he still has tears left.

“Teek’s the priestess, she’s the only one who can perform the prayer. The chief needs her alive.”

There’s a pause as the kit’s words hang in the air. Knuckles’s fingers relax, uncurling from their tight positions. 

“And Sonic’s mother?” The echidna ventures, after a moment. Cerulean irises blink before glancing down.

“We can’t give up hope that she might still be alive,” Miles finally answers, voice soft. Unsure. Another pause and then his eyes come back up to meet Knuckles. “...He wouldn’t kill her, would he?”

This time, it is Knuckles’s turn to break eye contact. “I don’t know. Stress and rage can make people act in ways that they never would. The chief took me in years ago after my family died, and yet I feel as though nothing I know about him is true.”

Miles sighs, sounding too old for someone so young. “I guess that makes two of us,” he says, eyes going back to the horizon. The echidna follows suit, studying the line before speaking aloud.

“We should get moving,” he says, glancing towards the fox. His eyes scroll down towards Miles’s lap, where a small, brown pouch sits. The kit blinks, tilting his head in a wordless query.

Knuckles turns away from the cliff’s edge. “There’s a place not far from here that we need to check. It might be able to give us some insight on all of this.”

“What is it?”

“A place very important to Sonic.”

* * *

It’s a long drop from here to the ocean. 

Tom’s footsteps are nearly soundless, grass and fabric rustling softly. Sonic doesn’t react, blank stare still focused on the water. The brown and white cloak is wrapped tightly around his body, making him appear even smaller. He hasn’t said anything since he stopped screaming. 

“Beautiful view,” the man smiles, sitting down close to the hedgehog. “Not as beautiful as some others I’ve seen, but hey, it’ll do. What do you think, buddy?”

Silence. The teen’s eyes are still fixed below. Empty. Teal and rimmed with red. 

“I think the Northern Lights beats this. Or maybe the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. Maddie and I have to bring you back there sometime to see that. Hopefully the fog won’t be bad that day.”

More silence. Tom inhales. His mouth straightens into a line.

“Listen,” he treads softly. Carefully. “This doesn’t change anything, okay? It doesn’t matter what Knuckles or the echidnas or anyone else says. You’re still Sonic.”

The sheriff pauses, moving his eyes to look directly at the teenager. He doesn’t know why, but he does. Hoping for a reply, a sign. Anything that the kid is still here. Listening. That somehow, he hasn’t cried or screamed all parts of himself away. Please. Don’t take him away.

“How…” a voice whispers, almost too quiet and weak to hear. “How can you say that?” 

The question is forced through hoarse vocal cords and a dry throat, but it might as well be a scream. Tom slides a little closer to Sonic.

“Because,” he starts. “It doesn’t matter where you came from or what you were, what matters is who you are _now._ And who you are _now_ is a thirteen-year-old, hyperactive middle schooler who lives in Green Hills with Maddie and I, and is planning to try out for the baseball team. You’ve memorized all of _Speed_ , love chili dogs and guacamole, have a little stuffed owl named Peeps, and can play the ukulele. There’s a certain spot on your ears that you secretly love getting rubbed, you’re super ticklish, and you love soft blankets even though you always seem to get tangled in them.”

Sonic’s ears flatten. “But _look_ at me!” The hedgehog counters, finally looking away from the waves. He backs away slightly before presenting his ungloved hands. The cyan crystals have grown to cover his entire hands, stopping short of his wrists. _“Look!_ ”

“I am, Sonic.”

“Then you see how that isn’t true! _None of it!”_

Slowly, the speedster lowers his arms. Tears slide down his face. “None of it’s true,” he reiterates, the words sounding hollow. 

Tom draws a deep breath. Closing the small distance between him and the teen again, he reaches out and gently takes Sonic’s left hand. He bites back the emotions that flare up in his mind when he feels stone instead of fur. There is no blood warmth beneath his fingers, no soft fur and yielding flesh. It’s smooth and cool and solid, like a granite countertop. And yet somehow, he can sense the surface moving organically beneath his touch, shuddering with every breath that Sonic takes. As if it is a part of him. At once, Tom feels a strange sensation, something ancient and powerful and incomprehensible, dancing over his skin. _Dangerous._ It’s warm and at the same time not.

“Close your eyes,” the sheriff instructs, praying that the teen will listen. By some miracle, he does. As Tom places the teen’s index and middle fingers on his wrist, his mind sifts through memories. “Do you remember when we visited Maddie at work one time and you saw that sedated dog? You were afraid that he was dead. But then Maddie showed you the EKG monitor that he was connected to, the one beeps and has the little green line. She said that the line shows his heart beating. As long as his heart is beating, then the dog is alive. He can keep running and playing and doing all the fun things that he wants to do.”

The tips of Sonic’s ears flop down, confused. “What does that have to do with _anything?”_ He seethes, teeth bared. Undeterred, Tom presses the hedgehog’s two fingers down.

“Eyes closed please,” he repeats. With a huff, the teen obeys. “Now forget what you see. What do you feel?”

“I feel… something moving. Like a little bump every second or something. What is it?”

“That’s my pulse. Every time you feel that movement it’s my heart beating.” Lifting Sonic’s fingers again, Tom moves them to the hedgehog’s own wrist and gently pushes them down. “What do you feel now?”

Sonic’s brow furrows briefly. His eyes abruptly snap open, a frown on his face. “My… _pulse?_ But that’s not… I _can’t_ have a pulse!”

“Living things do. And that includes you, buddy.”

“But I’m _not_ alive! I’m just some _rock_ that Longclaw stole!” The speedster shakes his head, his brain doing gymnastics in an attempt to synthesize the wildly differing pieces of information. A familiar heaviness abruptly fills the air, and the hood of the cloak falls down.

 _“I’m not alive, I’m not alive…”_ Sonic repeats on loop, rocking back and forth. His quills flicker from cobalt to cyan before the lighter color suddenly stays. Tom’s heart rate instantly increases as he watches the tips of the hedgehog’s quills twitch and crystalize. Organic, flexible spines transform into smooth, glowing stone, the change steadily working across Sonic’s head. 

Donning as sincere of a smile as he can— _do not let them see you sweat, stay calm and in control_ —Tom lifts the teenager’s head. 

“Hey, hey, look at me, Sonic! It’s okay!”

_“I’m not alive, no wonder I can’t do anything right, I shouldn’t even EXIST…”_

It’s amazing what a single sentence can do.

Within less than a millisecond, Tom scoops Sonic into his arms, pulling in him tight. Immediately, the teen gasps, mind too stunned to even consider pulling away. His face is pressed against the man’s chest, a steady, familiar heartbeat in his ears. Soothing. Strong. Goodnights and car rides and hi-fives and swimming lessons. _N-No, none of that was—_

 _“NEVER say that again,”_ the human declares, pressure building in his eyes. “You are a living person with your unique dreams and opinions. There are people who _care_ about you, who like spending time with you. You make mistakes because that’s a natural part of being alive. We all mess up sometimes. _Don’t you EVER think that you don’t deserve to exist.”_

Silence descends as the declaration hangs in the air. Sonic opens his mouth to say something but the words die in his throat. Something warm and soft touches the top of his head, and he freezes. 

Tom pulls back slightly, his lips leaving Sonic’s head. He gives the teenager a gentle squeeze, a hand combing through head quills. The crystals stop spreading.

“You’re my _son,”_ the man proclaims, the most certain thing he’s said for a long time. “And it’s about damn time I said it.”

At once, the kid— _his_ kid, his _son_ —reacts.

 _“Your—!”_ Sonic starts, but the word catches in his throat. _He can’t have… This isn’t..._

But there are fingers brushing against his ear, right in the spot that always makes him purr and didn’t know could even do that until—

_“Shhh… It’s okay. I’m right here, buddy.”_

In an instant, everything comes tumbling down again. Sonic heaves a breath into his lungs, but it unravels into an ugly, hiccuping sob. There’s a mess of emotions coiled around his heart and stomach, and his vision is all blurry again. 

He called you _son._ Which could only mean that he was okay with being called…

 _“Da—!”_ He chokes out, rubbing his face in Tom’s now-soaked shirt. _“D-Da—!”_

_“I got you, son.”_

Sonic wraps his arms around the man’s torso. “Don’t leave me, please, don’t go…”

“I’m not going anywhere, kid,” Tom responds, a hint of levity in his otherwise certain tone. He shifts positions, moving the kid into his lap. “You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

The hedgehog whimpers, swiping at his face with the back of a hand. Cradled in Tom’s arms—his _dad’s_ arms—the world seems a little less scary. He wipes his face again, and this time, it stays sort of dry. His dad resumes stroking his ears, and Sonic can feel the bubble in his throat that he’s slowly come to recognize as a purr. Inside, his stomach flips again. He fixes his gaze on his socks. 

Tom chuckles quietly, pausing in his ministrations. “Feeling a little less on _hedge_ now?” He teases, eyes twinkling.

A groan escapes from Sonic’s mouth before he can stop it. “That was _horrible.”_

“You just don’t get the humor of dad jokes.“ 

At the mention of the word ‘dad’, Sonic’s posture stiffens. Detecting the teen’s unease, Tom rubs his ears again.

“So we good?” He asks, returning to more casual diction. One that isn’t so complicated and full of vocabulary that makes them feel so out of sorts inside.

Slowly, Sonic lifts his head. He gives the tiniest nod. “Yeah. We’re good.”

Tom smiles, giving the hedgehog another squeeze. “Okay.” 

The two family members return to their eyes to the water. Only this time, both of them are looking farther out, to the line where the sky meets the sea.

“Hey, uh… Da—” _Dad, Dad, Dad!_ “Donut Lord?”

“Yes, Sonic?”

“Does Maddie… Did she want me to be her…?”

Tom’s expression falls, switching from a fragile peace and pride to a bittersweet flavor. “With all her heart. She wanted nothing more than to be your mother. We wanted to tell you for so long, but we were worried about overstepping or pushing you too much that we decided to leave it up to you. Wait for you to say something first. I guess we should have just said something to begin with. Sorry."

A fresh wave of warmth spreads on Sonic’s face. His chest aches with a familiar, frigid pain. “I never got to…” he trails off, choking back a sob, “And now she’s _gone.” Gone, gone, GONE, like feathers and gold light and a gentle touch through his quills._

In the midst of crying, fingers brush against the hedgehog’s cheek. 

“Your mother is the strongest person I know,” His father says, voice firm. Clinging. “If anyone could escape from those echidnas, it would be her. You just gotta hope.”

Sonic doesn’t respond at first, shuffling in Tom’s arms. The crashing of the waves against the cliff is the only sound heard for several minutes. An eternity later, Sonic rubs his face. His gaze lingers on a now crystallized hand, and he swallows. Teal eyes close for a moment before reopening. 

“I… We need to…”

“Tom? Sonic?” a voice abruptly interjects. Two heads turn at once towards the source of the noise, and are greeted by two familiar figures. 

Guilt flickers on the face of the shorter one. “Sorry. Was I interrupting something?” 

An unrecognizable emotion passes over Sonic’s face before he pushes out of Tom’s arms. “No. What’s up, Tails?” He asks, ignoring the look the human is giving him. The grass feels unsteady beneath his paws, but he manages to stay upright and walk towards the others. Knuckles’s cloak drags on the ground behind him.

Miles bites his lip. After throwing the briefest glance at Knuckles, the fox reveals a small, gray rock. Tom and Sonic stare at the presented item with confusion.

Upon seeing the duo’s expressions, Miles instantly flushes and kneels on the ground. 

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but this is something important,” the kit explains, his fingers quickly passing across the rock’s gray surface. “Where is… Aha! Found it!”

A fragment dislodges from the rock, coming away in Miles’s grip. He sets it aside. Using both hands now, the fox grasps both sides of the rock and pulls the top half away. Like a lid of sorts. 

Miles offers the now-opened box to Tom and Sonic. “We found this near the remains of your hut. The one that you and Longclaw lived in. Somehow, this wasn’t stolen or destroyed after all these years.”

Teal eyes widen upon noticing something in the box. The colors are less vibrant, but Sonic still recognizes the heart-breakingly familiar, striped pattern. 

_“Is that…?”_

The fox nods. Reaching inside, he gently fishes out a folded piece of parchment. It’s creased and yellowed, clearly showing its age. “I think you should be the one to read this. This was left for you.” 

Gingerly, Sonic takes the letter. His fingers shake as he unfolds the paper. Heaving a breath into his lungs, his eyes land on the first line. In an instant, his fragile composure breaks.

Somebody touches his head, right between his ears. Da-Donut Lord? _Chicken._

 _“It’s okay.”_

Sonic inhales again before finally reading.

> _My Dearest Sonic,_
> 
> _The odds of you ever finding this are slim. Part of me hopes that you never find it. But the other part of me, the part that compels me to write this letter, desires nothing more than to tell you the secret I should have never kept from you._
> 
> _Far away, there are eight emeralds with the power to grant wishes. Because of their limitless power, many people covet them. One day, the chief of the echidna tribe plotted to use the emeralds to further his own selfish purposes. And so I, in fulfillment of my oath to protect the peace on Mobius, attempted to stop him. The full power of the Chaos Emeralds can only be accessed when all seven are assembled, and so I stole one of them. And then, through some miracle that I even now do not understand, the cyan gem transformed itself into a baby hedgehog. That child was you, Sonic._
> 
> _I understand that this revelation will bring you pain. You have every right to be upset, to be furious at me for keeping this secret from you. While it would be easy for me to say that I eventually planned to tell you when you became older, I cannot say that and still be truthful. I am a selfish, old owl, and I did not want to lose the gift that I’d been blessed with._
> 
> _It is true that I initially saw you as a means to protect the Chaos Emerald. But I came to love you as a true son. I wanted nothing more than to be with you for all time, to protect you from harm. You became a part of me, the light that kept me going in the midst of the darkness. I know that I was wrong to keep this secret from you, and for that, I can only beg for your forgiveness. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry._
> 
> _I have been a terrible parent. Forcing you to remain inside, not letting you run around and have fun: there is no way that I can ever make that up to you. I hope that wherever you are, whatever person you have become, you still have that beautiful smile that makes my heart soar. Getting to raise you was the most incredible thing I have ever done in my life—a life that is nearing its end. When my time comes, know that I will be thinking of you._
> 
> _Take care, my little starlight. I know you’ll make me proud._
> 
> _Forever your loving mother,_
> 
> _Longclaw_

When Sonic finishes reading the letter, his entire body is trembling. There’s a sensation dancing on his ears, like ripples on the water. His vision ebbs in and out of focus. 

“Sonic?” Someone asks quietly. The ripples stop. At the sound of his name, the hedgehog tenses, pointed fingers wrinkling the yellowed paper. A shadow falls over teal eyes as the teen hastily but carefully tries to fold the letter back up.

“Sonic?” The person repeats, a bit stronger this time. It’s Tom. 

Sonic looks up, a grave expression on his face. “We have to go back,” he declares. “We have to… _I_ have to go back.”

Tom immediately frowns. “ _No. Absolutely not._ ” The man grabs the hedgehog’s shoulders, staring directly at him. 

The speedster attempts to wrestle out of the human’s grip. “Let me go, Da- _Donut Lord!”_

 _“No._ I’m not gonna let you go and risk your life again. You’re just a kid, Sonic.”

“I’m not a kid!”

“Yes, you are! And you have a life and dreams that you should get to live!”

“Well, what if _this_ is what I wanna do with it, _huh?_ What if I _wanna_ save Maddie and the planet? I don’t have that much time left anyway, so why not go out doing something good?”

_“Sonic!”_

With a grunt, the hedgehog breaks out of Tom’s grasp, stopping a few paces away. _“Stop!”_ He shouts, quills bristling. The crystallization inches further across his body. Tom, Miles, and Knuckles can only stare in shock as they witness the transformation. Noticing the others’ expressions, Sonic sighs heavily, his gaze landing on his hands. 

“Look,” he starts, dropping his arms to the side. There’s _something_ on his head and arms and he tries not to think about how he can suddenly feel new sensations in those areas. Tactile. Like he would with an arm or leg. Sonic swallows, the letter heavy in his hand. “I haven’t been honest with all of you. Sorry.”

The look on Tom’s face is _painfully_ confused and concerned, and Sonic attempts to ignore it as best as he can. “What are you talking about?” He asks.

Sonic wraps his arms around himself. His hands brush against something solid and sharp on his shoulders and he knows what it is. “I… I remember some things. Memories from before. When I was—” the words catch in his throat but he shoves them out anyways, “—an _emerald.”_

It is Knuckles who responds first, finally speaking after all this time. “What do you remember?” 

The transformed emerald glances away. “I remember colors. Scarlet fur and bright green grass. Giant waves and rage. There were six voices who would beg me to come back _._ But they always vanished after a while, and I always remember feeling lonely afterwards.” Sonic turns back to the other three. “I said I was going to save Mobius, right? So I have to go. It’s… It’s the reason I’m here in the first place, anyways.”

Tom reaches for his son. “Sonic, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to play the hero every time.”

“I’m not playing the hero. I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do. I _can’t_ run away from this.”

Sonic backs away from Tom’s hands, his teal gaze like two pieces of steel. Unyielding. Immovable. Slowly, the human turns to Knuckles.

“Is there any way to save Mobius without him having to change back into an emerald?” Tom inquires, voice tight. The guardian closes his eyes, unwilling to meet the father’s fearful gaze. 

“It’s possible that Sonic could utilize his chaos abilities in his current form. That way, he could re-energize the other emeralds without needing to change back. But he’d need to _learn_ how to do that first, and the only person who could teach him is Tikal.”

Tom inhales, eyes narrowing in determination. “Then we go _back,”_ he announces. “To get Tikal and Maddie.”

Knuckles opens his eyes, veiled concern in the two lavender orbs. “This is just a theory. It might not work. We are guessing blindly about ancient artifacts with the powers to create and destroy. There is a very good _reason_ why they are called 'Chaos Emeralds'.”

“But it _might_ work,” Tom snaps back. It _has_ to.

The silence that follows speaks volumes. Miles closes the box, the cover reattaching with a quiet click. He sneaks a glance at Sonic, and quickly bites his tongue. He sighs, surprising the other three. “If we’re really going to do this,” he begins, wearing a solemn expression. “We’re going to need a plan. The chief is going to have Maddie and Teek surrounded by guards. They’ll be ready for us.”

Sonic clenches his fists, eyes glowing. “Then we’ll be ready too.”

“And how do you expect to do _that?”_ Knuckles snaps, tone sharp and stinging. “You can barely stand, let alone walk. This will _not_ end well for any of us if we fail.” The echidna’s voice softens, concern becoming more visible. “Especially for you, Sonic. If you do end up returning to your original form, you’ll rejoin the Chaos Force that connects the emeralds. You won’t remember anything. The individual known as Sonic will cease to exist. Are you willing to take that risk?”

In an instant, teal pupils widen. Sonic stutters, scrambling to answer, before sharply turning away. Tom immediately reaches for him, and this time, the speedster doesn’t back away.

Miles scowls, wheeling on the guardian. “Knuckles! You… You didn’t have to say _that!”_

“He deserves to know the truth. I’m not going to pretend like everything is going to end well when it likely _won’t.”_

“But you… you…” the kit fumbles before sighing. His tails twitch agitatedly behind him, one hand going to the pouch hanging at his waist. “Fine. Well, here’s a plan for you. We’ll use the rings. Warp to the dungeons or wherever they have them, and escape back here before the echidnas even notice. Easy.”

There’s another silence, heavy and hard like a boulder, that descends. The rest of the group stares at the fox, each wearing a different expression. And then, weakly, like a single star in the dark of night, Tom breaks the silence with an ember of hope. 

“Alright,” he says, trying to walk on an invisible bridge. “Then let’s get moving.”

* * *

Maddie stumbles back into consciousness, abruptly jolted from darkness into color. The woman groans, head throbbing with pain. Almost instantly, she is accosted by the end of a spear, the silvery blade only inches from her face. 

“The chief has summoned you,” the guard announces. “They will be here shortly.”

Before Maddie can even consider what the echidna means, two more guards step forward. There’s a rustle of fabric and then the whole world goes dark again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonic gets a new look in this chapter. We'll call him "Cyan Sonic", for lack of a better name (and also a reference to Steven Universe's "Pink Steven"). Aside from Steven Universe, Cyan Sonic is inspired by Mephiles the Dark's crystalline form, Infinite, and Ghost Scourge from Evan Stanley's Ghost of the Future comic. 
> 
> It took a near death experience, but Tom finally calls Sonic "son". 
> 
> One of the questions that was brought up last chapter (thanks, Regenbogen!) was whether or not Longclaw actually cared for/loved Sonic. Maybe it's a cop-out with the letter and such, but I hope I answered your question. The box that the letter comes in is a sort of puzzle box. As for what Sonic recognized, it's one of Longclaw's feathers.
> 
> If you're wondering what memories Sonic is referencing, those are his dreams from chapter 2 of emerald green.
> 
> The squad's got a plan to save Maddie, Tikal, and the planet. Question is, will they succeed? And what is the chief up to?


	7. celadon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There is blood and violence in this chapter. You have been warned.

Tom doesn’t take the rings back from the fox. He doesn’t think he can clear his mind enough to think of somewhere to go. Much less think of that place where everything…

Anyways.

Miles raises a hand, the gold ring shining in the sunlight. Shiny, Bright. Why is it so bright when it feels like they’re going to a funeral?

The kit looks back at the rest of the group, wearing a grave expression. “The moment the portal opens, we have to _move._ I’m warping us right to where Tikal and Maddie are. Grab the two of them and jump back into the ring. Is everybody ready?” 

Slowly, the three others nod, quietly letting out sounds of affirmation. Tails catches sight of Sonic beginning to slip the brown cloak off his shoulders, prompting the fox to frown.

“Sonic, you have to stay here. We talked about this.”

Almost instantly, the speedster’s head snaps up, teal eyes wide. “I…” He starts, ears drooping. “Okay. Sorry.”

A hand drifts to his head, fingers easily finding the place on his crown. 

“It’s okay,” Tom— _Dad, Dad, Dad_ —comforts. The man’s fingers brush against the gem shards on his forehead, and Sonic resists the urge to shudder. The crystals—they’re _part_ of you, you can’t ignore them now—feel like raw nerves. Exposed and too sensitive. He must have not suppressed his discomfort enough, because Tom— _DAD_ —is giving him the pity face.

“Do you want me to stay here with you?” He asks softly. Like he’s handling a piece of glass. He might as well be.

Sonic bites his lip, canines cutting into flesh. A hint of metal and salt dribbles onto his tongue. _Yes._ “No. You go with them. I’ll wait for you.” _I need you to stay because I’m scared that the moment you walk through that ring will be the last time I see you._

Tom studies the hedgehog for a moment before glancing over to Miles and Knuckles. Hesitant. Conflicted.

“It’s your decision,” Knuckles eventually says, before looking ahead. “But we need to get going.”

An eternity later, Sonic feels another hand on his shoulder. Above the shards and another tremor runs through him. This time, he doesn’t catch it in time. Tom’s fingers curl around him.

 _“I’ll stay,”_ he declares, disregarding Sonic’s gasp. “Good luck.”

Miles nods. “Alright. See you later.” 

Returning his eyes forward, the fox throws the ring. There’s a quiet swish as the item flies through the air before expanding in a flash of light.

Several things happen next.

One. In their haste, the group forgets that ring portals are doors through space and time.

Two. Doors open from both sides.

Three. Miles’s plan assumed that Tikal and Maddie were locked in the dungeons. And that this was a simple rescue mission.

Four. Armies can move fast. In contrast, the quartet’s fastest fighter is physically and mentally unable to respond in time.

Within seconds, the warriors restrain the group. Tom writhes against the four echidnas pushing him back, throat hoarse as he screams for his son.

Chief Raza of the House of Pachacamac surveys the captured with a cold, methodical detachment, the pouch of rings clutched in his hand. His icy gaze lands on his primary target. The prize.

Sonic shrinks back, pupils like pin points and heart pounding in his ears. His entire being is frozen in sheer terror, and so it does not take much for one of the echidnas to tear the brown cloak away. Immediately, Raza smirks, all fangs and sharp teeth before the slaughter. 

_“Hello, emerald.”_ The chief greets, cyan light reflecting in his frigid eyes. _“We have much to do.”_

Someone seizes both of Sonic’s arms, their vice-like grip squeezing his flesh. That horrible raw feeling floods his body, and he yelps, the only sound his vocal cords are able to make right now. In an instant, someone shrieks, far away and close by at the same time.

_“Run, Sonic! Get out of here!”_

Sonic’s ears swivel at the familiar voice. There’s the sound of struggling—shoes on stone and fabric rustling—before the shouts are abruptly muffled. Blades point at throats. 

Raza looks down at the priestess with disappointment. 

“When will you learn to let go of this _weakness,_ Tikal?” He chides, shaking his head. “If our people are to have a future, you must be willing to make sacrifices. _It_ is not even _alive! It_ is simply _mimicking our behaviors! It cannot feel emotion!”_

Tikal looks up defiantly. “If _he_ has shown more kindness and compassion than you have,” she responds, silk shrouding steel. “Then what does that say about _you, Father?”_

Cyan eyes stare blankly. The voices talk above him, volumes increasing, as fire ignites inside his chest. And then crystals burst with a blinding light, temporarily stunning everyone.

_NO!_

The hedgehog rises to his feet, suppressing the agony that flares up at the movement. His body isn’t moving like it should and it’s _hard_ and it _hurts_ but he needs to _save them, protect them, get away from here._ At once, the voices shout, seizing weapons and surging forward.

Sonic _runs._ And time can only try to catch up. 

_Run. Snatch the weapons from the guards’ hand. Cut the ropes with a knife. Careful._

_Jump. Pull a hood over someone’s eyes._

_To the back. Tie two cloaks together._

_Run again. Shove two guards to the side. Move these ones away from the others. Push her over here. Take off the cloth around her head._

_Go back. Steal the pouch of rings. Grab someone’s hand and point it at their face, you freaking_ **_jerk_ ** _who_ **_needs to go and—_ **

For a fraction of a second, the world stutters. Everything sort of jitters, like a video buffering. Time returns to normal speed for the briefest moment before slowing down again. 

_Wha—?_ Sonic gapes. It’s the only thought he manages to make before a particularly intense pain snakes across his body, and he trips. The moment he crashes on the ground in front of Tom and the others the world slams back into motion. Rings scatter across the floor of the altar. Behind him, the echidnas let out screams as the effects of the hedgehog’s hyperspeed hijinks finally hit them. Two of them stumble off the edge of the shrine. Three trip and land with thuds on the stone. Warriors raise spears that are no longer there; instead, the weapons are falling after being thrown out of the altar. Raza recoils back after his fist connects with his jaw. 

Sonic doesn’t react to the success of his actions: that the echidnas are disarmed and temporarily incapacitated. He’s too busy trying to weather the agony currently raging through his torso. The speedster’s bare hands clutch at his chest in pure horror. Fingers raking and then discovering. Something is _growing_ there, solid and faceted and most definitely _cyan._ There’s no way to bite back his shrieks as the gem fully erupts from his flesh and Sonic can feel its weight as it moves and pulses in time with his rapid heartbeat like _a normal part of his body and oh god, it’s happening AGAIN, no, no, NO._

Words—shouts—flitter through slush, and everything shifts upward. It takes a couple seconds for the realization to set in that someone—someones?—is holding him, sitting him up and inspecting him. Hands like bubble baths and fresh towels lightly dance across his skin, avoiding the glowing, cyan emerald in his chest.

 _“M—!”_ Sonic tries. It hurts. Everything hurts but he needs to _get up,_ he needs to _help, he needs to—_

_“Shhh, shhh… It’s okay, it’s okay, Mommy’s got you, you’re going to be okay.”_

_“I… I’m s—”_

_“I know, I know, but I need you to be brave and strong for me a little longer, please? Just hold my hand tight, okay? Can you please do that for me, baby?”_

With the little strength he has left, Sonic squeezes her hand. He _has_ to do _something_ right. 

* * *

It is pure pandemonium at the top of the altar.

As Maddie and Tikal tend to Sonic, the others battle Raza and the remaining warriors. While Sonic’s maneuvers have managed to disarm and take out some of the echidnas, there are still several left. The guards rush to protect their chief, clashing with the trio.

Currently the fastest of the trio, Miles reaches the enemies before Tom and Knuckles do. Using his tails, he swipes at a guard’s leg. Without missing a beat, the fox lands a heavy blow on the echidna’s head with both tails.

Tom grits his teeth as he throws his full weight at a guard, decking him. The echidna lands with a gasp and a thump on the stone, unconscious. Tom spends no time relishing his victory, instantly running to his next opponent. 

As Tom and Miles engage with the guards, Knuckles aims another punch at Raza’s head. A fist collides with the chief’s skull. While such a strike would prove a winning blow with others, Raza is too experienced and furious to be defeated so easily. Before Knuckles can regain his bearings, the chief slams an elbow into the smaller echidna’s ribs. Immediately, he follows up with a punch of his own in the same location. 

Knuckles staggers back with a grimace, only just managing to stay upright. A hand automatically flies to his torso and he feels something wet. Warm. The thought barely finishes registering before instinct pushes him to raise both hands. He narrowly manages to evade Raza’s attack, the movement sending a fresh wave of torture through his midsection. A red haze— _red, red, red_ —gathers at the edges of his vision, agony and rage and guilt and sorrow all blended into one fiery hue. Almost on instinct, it spreads like ink on wet paper, and Knuckles nearly lets it do so. But the images of coral spines and cyan quills flashes through his mind, and he consciously halts the flow.

He’s already tried his usual route of brute force. If they’re going to win, he needs to do this a different way. 

Lavender eyes narrow as crimson stains a white moon.

With a roar of fury, Raza charges again.

This time, Knuckles allows the chief’s fist to sail over him, the younger echidna sliding unharmed under the attack. Enduring another stab of pain, the guardian finds purchase on the stone with blood-stained fingers and twists himself around. A single heartbeat is the only notice Knuckles gives his former leader before burying both spiked fists into his ribs. The crack that echoes is pure, dark delight as the guardian closes in.

But then, at the very moment when Knuckles could have ended all of this, made the altar’s bloom red, a faint voice whispers almost inaudibly in the back of his head.

_Too many lives have been lost._

The voice only speaks for a split-second, but it is a split-second that Knuckles has his guard down. The next sound that the guardian hears is his own pained cry as he plummets to the floor, salted scarlet spilling on the stone. Something sharp is driven into his right arm and then the other, and all he can do is scream as pain and warmth stream down his body.

 _“The servants are the seven Chaos…”_ Raza starts, and two sets of eyes immediately snap towards him. 

Sonic gasps, a horrible sensation flooding his body and mind. The crystallization flares to life again as Maddie stares in complete shock. Short, blunt nails sharpen into razor-sharp claws, hard as diamonds and slicing into human hands. The hedgehog's tattered socks—the only article of clothing he still has on—are ripped to shreds.

_“S-Sonic? What’s happening?!”_

_“Father, no!”_

_“Knuckles!”_ Miles screeches, flying over to defend his friend. He shouldn’t have said anything. 

With well-honed precision, Raza blocks the attack and slashes the kit’s arm with the dagger. Miles shrieks, hands clutching blood-stained yellow fur. 

_“Chaos is power…”_

Across the altar, the gray emeralds begin to levitate and glow. But unlike before, the auras are less steady, energy sporadically arcing from the stones. Maddie frantically tries to keep her grasp on Sonic, who is being pulled away from her by an invisible, ancient power. His whole body has turned to stone now, and yet the crystal _continues_ to grow, enveloping Sonic in a cyan cocoon. 

_“Look at me, Sonic! I need you to fight this! Focus on me, okay?!”_

_“It will not work! He CANNOT ignore it!”_

As the chief casts the bleeding fox away, Tom races up behind him. Before he can attack however, the echidna whips around and lands his own right hook on the human. The sheriff collapses in a daze.

_“Controlled by my will…”_

A large bolt of energy explodes from the emeralds, igniting a nearby fallen cloak. The fire casts a dangerous amber over the altar. Tikal scrambles across the floor of the shrine, snatching a fallen ring and throwing it. _“Hurry!”_ She screams at Maddie, pushing her and Sonic towards the portal. They’re only a step away when something pulls Maddie back, the sudden force causing her to lose her grip on her son. The emerald-turned hedgehog is dragged over to the altar, the other gems immediately latching onto his form. Hungry for his energy.

Cold eyes reflect seven colors.

Maddie and Tikal race towards Sonic, but the chief holds one back while pushing the other away. Maddie lands on the ground in front of the crystallized speedster with yelp. 

_“Maddie!”_ Sonic shrieks, trying to reach towards her but the cocoon has grown to his neck and he can’t move. _No, no, no, no, NO! Fight it, c’mon, you HAVE TO—_

_“The controller exists to enslave the Chaos!”_

With those words, everything goes still. 

As the eye of the hurricane passes by, Sonic desperately tries to retain his grasp on reality, one pulling against seven. The last thing he sees as cyan overtakes his last bit of vision is those injured on a blood-stained floor. 

_You did this._

_The ones you cared about so much, the ones so IMPORTANT to you, said that you would protect._

_Your family._

_They’re hurt because of you,_

_it’s YOUR fault,_

_their blood is on the floor and it's YOUR hands,_

_you should have been faster,_

_shouldn’t have fallen,_

_should have stayed on Earth and not tried to play the hero._

_YOU hurt them._

_You’re no better than the bad guys you claim to fight._

_No…_

_You’re not a bad guy._

_Longclaw is DEAD because of you. And now Tom and Maddie and Tails and Knuckles and Tikal are going to die too._

_No, you’re worse than a bad guy._

_You’re a killer._

_A freak._

_A weapon._

_A_ **_mon̢͈̟̝̠̰͔̖͘s͈͔͓͖te͊ͦͩ̾̎҉̤̬̰̭r._ **

At the top of the altar, something shatters. A moment later, the world _roars_ with cyan electricity. 

_Chaos_ is unleashed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in my original outline for this story, this chapter was going to go a little differently. But sometimes you get an idea and then the discord you're part of says some things, and yeah. Shoutout to the Pocket Hog discord!
> 
> Writing fight scenes is hard. So is trying to verbally capture Sonic's bullet time running. Hopefully, it came across for all of you. As for why Sonic suddenly trips, his anger causes the crystallization to start up again. And then a giant rock just erupts from his chest. If you're looking for a visual, think White Diamond's gem but it's in Sonic's chest. Raza's chant in this chapter is a version of the normal prayer used by Dr. Finitevus from the Archie Comics. It is uses corrupted Chaos energy.
> 
> yes, i did quote avengers here, i apologize
> 
> See you next chapter.


	8. charcoal

It’s market day. In keeping with her usual habits, she leaves in the morning to purchase produce and stock up on the necessities. While there are several clouds gathering in the sky, the weather remains fairly nice. Smoothing and tying her quills back, the girl heads outside.

Her mother’s list in one hand and a basket in the other, she traverses the well-worn path with ease. As usual, she waves to those passing by, greeting each one with a friendly smile. Only some of the echidnas wave back at her.

Walking up to a stall, the girl peruses the produce, carefully checking for imperfections and ripeness. She’s about to pay for the fruit when a nearby pile of allspice suddenly collapses. Confused, the girl and the vendor look at each other before another movement arrests their attention. 

The ground shakes. And the displayed avocados teeter back and forth. Another tremor and baskets of produce tumble to the floor.

 _“Earthquake!”_ A voice announces. Instantly, the marketplace erupts into frantic screams and footsteps. Families scoop up their children while others bark orders and usher people to safety.

Caught up in the panic, the girl is shoved about repeatedly, her basket lost in the commotion. As she is jostled from side to side, she hears a shrill voice above the discord. 

_“Mama!”_ A lone child wails. _“Mama, where are you?!”_

In an instant, the girl pushes through the crowd, running up to the young echidna. He flinches back at her sudden appearance, and she moves her arms into a placating gesture. _“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m gonna take you to mama, it’s okay.”_

At the soothing tone, the puggle sniffles before raising his arms. Immediately, the girl hoists him up and heads back towards the exit, dodging falling debris and scattered wares. As she races out of the cluttered market, a throng of people stand frozen in front of the entrance. Guards draw their weapons.

“What are you _doing?”_ She screams, attempting to elbow through the barrier. “Stop standing there, we need to get to safe…” 

Whatever words the girl is about to say die in her throat as she finally sees what the others are transfixed by. She gasps, mint irises like dots amidst a sea of white.

In the distance, not far from the city, a giant, cyan monster rises above the trees. Opening its massive jaw, it unleashes a roar that makes the entire island tremble.

* * *

It is by pure instinct that Tom manages to pull his wife out of the way of falling stone. The roof of the altar is caving in, toppled like a child’s block tower with the single swipe of a wolf-like tail. Maddie crashes against him, her body rigid against his. 

_“My baby, my baby, oh god please, not my baby…”_ she mumbles mindlessly, eyes glazed over.

This can’t be happening. 

_“Thomas!”_ A gruff voice cries out. Knuckles. “Thomas, we need to get out of here _now!”_

In a daze, the sheriff lifts his wife up bridal style. The rest of the world fades into the background as he follows the crimson figure down the crumbling steps and into the jungle. There are shouts behind him but he pays them no heed. Dodge this vine. Avoid the rocks. Duck under this branch. It isn’t until another earthquake occurs that everything slams back into focus. Knuckles abruptly falls over, the combination of the tremor and his bleeding arms sending him to the ground. The guardian grimaces in an attempt to get back up as Tom sets Maddie down. Next to him, Miles objects against the action, ordering the echidna to stay down, you’re going to make it _worse._ The two voices overlap until a third cuts in.

 _“Shut up!”_ Tom shouts, the command echoing through the air. The sheriff glares at the fox and echidna, frustration etched into every part of his features. “Arguing isn’t going to solve _anything! My SON has turned into a monster and you’re arguing over nothing!”_

 _“You don’t think we CARE about this?!”_ Knuckles retorts, teeth bared. “We are just as furious with Raza as you are!”

 _“Really?_ Because you _sure_ took your time to do something about it! Maybe if he destroys some of your city, you’ll _realize that using a CHILD to fix your problems is a bad idea!”_

_“How DARE you—!”_

_“ENOUGH!”_ A female voice shrieks. At once, all eyes snap to the source of the noise.

Maddie sniffles, tears streaming from her eyes and her hands trembling. “We don’t have _time_ for this! It _doesn’t matter_ who did what! That is _not helping! People are in danger, and Sonic needs US!”_

At the mention of the hedgehog, a hush falls over the group. Sorrow colors each face, gazes avoiding each other. Swallowing, Tom moves his attention away from Knuckles. “Tikal,” he starts, and the priestess gasps slightly. “You can fix this... _right?”_

Tikal tilts her head down. “There is one way,” she says quietly. “But you will not like it.”

“This isn’t the time to be _vague, just say it!”_

“I can use the prayer to transform Sonic back into an emerald. But he will cease to exist.”

At once, Tom vehemently dismisses the idea. _“No._ We are not doing that. That is _not_ an option.”

“Then I am unsure of what else to do.”

“There _has_ to be another way! Knuckles said you could use chaos abilities, is there anything you can do with that?”

_“I don’t…”_

“What about Chaos Control?” Knuckles interjects. One hand presses against a wound, attempting to stanch the bleeding. “ You could use that to trap him while we figure out another way to change him back.”

“I… My power is _nothing_ compared to that of the Chaos Emeralds!”

“But you _have_ to _try,_ Teek!” Miles presses. The kit’s face suddenly lights up. _“Wait!_ What if you had your own emerald to draw power from? He didn’t take the Master Emerald! And that’s the one that controls the others, right?”

Tikal blinks. “It… That _might_ work. But the Master Emerald is back at the shrine!”

“Then I’ll go get it.” Knuckles declares, standing up unsteadily. In an instant, he is accosted by a chorus of protests. “We’re running out of _time.”_ The guardian emphasizes, undeterred. He turns away from the others, back towards the shrine. Before he can leave however, a hand grabs his shoulder.

“I’m going with you,” Miles announces, ignoring the scowl on the echidna’s face. “If I carry you and fly, we can get there much faster. We all have to work together on this.”

The guardian sucks in a breath, quick and shallow. Angry. Gradually, his fists unclench. He nods. Miles grins before spinning his tails and alighting. 

“We’ll come over to where Sonic is as soon as we have the emerald!” The fox calls, lifting Knuckles up with his uninjured arm. “Good luck!”

With those words, the kit and echidna fly off into the jungle. The others watch them go for a brief moment before Tom solemnly looks in the direction of the city. Where the source of the tremors is going. 

“Let’s get moving,” the sheriff declares before taking off, the others following behind him.

When they reach their destination, the group of three immediately freezes.

Tikal gasps, her heart breaking. _“Oh Gaia…”_ she breathes, pupils like pinpoints.

The once beautiful Mystic City lies in ruin. 

Several half-demolished, ivory pyramids dot the landscape, the walls crumbling after so many quakes. Gray clouds blot out the sun, shrouding the city in darkness as rain begins to fall. Only the warriors remain in the abandoned streets, duty and honor compelling them to stay. Archers and catapults scramble into position before firing. One member of the guard notices the group and hurries over. 

“My lady,” he greets breathlessly, offering her a quick bow. “Where is your guardian? You cannot be here! The city is not safe!”

Tikal narrows her eyes. _“No,”_ she replies, drawing an expression of shock from the guard. 

The guard sputters. “Lady Tikal!” 

“This is my home. I have the same oath and duty as you to defend it.” The priestess declares, standing firm. 

Realizing that he will not win, the guard sighs. “Then until your father returns,” he kneels to the ground, “What would you have us do?” 

Without hesitation, Tikal answers. “Send a group to search through the city and evacuate anyone left behind. As for the rest of the soldiers, I need you to keep the monster contained in one place. My companions and I will handle it from there.”

“It will be done at once.”

“Thank you. I wish you and your men good fortune. May Light Gaia shine down on you.” 

“And may he shine down on you as well.” Giving one last bow, the guard stands and returns to the fighting. Tikal turns to the two humans with her. The confidence on her face fades slightly. “Thomas and Maddie, I—”

“We’ll do it,” Maddie interrupts. “Anything for our son.”

The priestess blinks slowly. “Until Miles and Knuckles return with the Master Emerald…” she pauses, “I need you both to distract Sonic while I look for an opportunity to immobilize him. If any part of his mind remains intact and conscious, it is you two that he will recognize.”

As if on cue, a deafening roar fills the air. It sounds close. Nearby. Whipping their heads up, Tikal, Maddie, and Tom see the now-monstrous Sonic looming over the city. The volley of arrows and boulders launched at him only prompt a howl from him. Pointed ears flattening, he slams his head against a nearby building, leveling it instantly. His tail swings involuntarily, causing more destruction. Chunks of rock rain down as Sonic claws into the stone, his large eyes wide. Voids of black surrounding a glowing, emerald green pupil. 

Maddie swallows, squeezing her husband’s hand. “Okay,” she says, and they run. Across the ruins and past the soldiers who shout at them. They don’t stop until they are standing in the shadow of their son.

Now much closer to him, Tikal, Tom, and Maddie get a full look at the speedster’s new form. And two hearts shatter all over again.

Easily the size of a skyscraper, Sonic towers over Mystic City. Gone are his cobalt blue quills; instead, his body is covered with cerulean scales and sharp, watery horns—a twisted version of his spines. His underbelly— _peach and silky, he’s so ticklish there_ —is clear liquid with several, glowing aqua veins visible inside. Giant claws protrude from all four of his colossal paws, this form suited for quadruped movement. The two front legs have spikes running along their sides. Adorning the top of Sonic’s wolfish head is a clear fin. 

Even with how vastly different he looks, Maddie can still see some of her blueberry in there. And that is what sends her spiraling. 

“Maddie?”

Tom squeezes her hand, snapping the veterinarian back. She blinks, confused, before remembering. Mustering as deep of a breath as she can, Maddie screams. Her husband swiftly joins her.

_“DOWN HERE, SONIC!”_

_“HEY, SONIC!”_

Despite how loud the two humans yell, the transformed hedgehog does not appear to hear them. His focus is locked on the echidnas attacking him. Some of the projectiles land on his head, causing him to step back and right into the taut ropes that the echidnas have stretched across the empty streets. Sonic falls to the ground with a deafening crash, the island trembling once again. Buildings come crashing down, only a few staying upright at this point. 

_“Look out!”_

Out of nowhere, Tom and Maddie are pushed to the side, landing into the now muddy ground with a thud. As they regain their bearings, they notice a boulder sitting in the exact location they were just standing. 

“Looks like we got here just in time,” a voice pants, and the two heads snap up. Standing next to Tikal are Miles and Knuckles, the latter of the two clutching a large, green gemstone. Miles and Tikal offer a hand to the humans, helping them to their feet.

“We need to hurry,” Knuckles exclaims, direct as always. Narrowed, lavender orbs survey the area, and the echidna frowns. The ground shakes, damaged buildings hardly standing a chance. “There won’t be much left to save at this rate!”

Tikal nods, looking towards Sonic who roars as the echidnas tie ropes and chains around his massive limbs. The priestess squints through the downpour, her gaze locked onto the monster’s head. The fin on his crown: there is something _glittering_ inside of it. Two eyes suddenly widen in realization.

“Chaos energy is influenced by emotion,” Tikal muses aloud. “Sonic’s distress means that he cannot hold a stable form. So rather than the cyan emerald physically transforming into a new state, it is _projecting_ this form and drawing energy from the other emeralds to maintain it. Which means that…” The girl looks to the other four, who each don various degrees of confusion. Her focus primarily falls on the shortest of the group. “I need you to fly me up to his head.”

It is straight silence after Tikal speaks. Miles flounders, trying to push past the lump in his throat. His tails twitch anxiously. A year later, he heaves a deep breath into his lungs.

“If that’s what it takes,” the fox swallows, “Then I’ll do it.”

Tikal gives a tiny smile. Closing her eyes, she turns and places a hand on the Master Emerald. The jewel glows at her touch, a soft green light that greatly contrasts with the crackling blue electricity from earlier. Slowly, the emerald rises out of Knuckles’s grasp, spinning and sparkling above the priestess. When Tikal opens her eyes, they shine with mystical, ancient power. 

“Miles,” she says, voice almost seeming to echo. “Shall we?”

The kit takes her hand. _“Let’s.”_ With a whoosh, the duo rise into the air, the Master Emerald somehow hovering after them like a balloon.

“Knuckles! Tell the soldiers to keep Sonic for as long as they can! He must not be allowed to get back up! Maddie and Thomas, get back!” 

“Right!” 

Following the priestess’s orders, the three dash over to the line of warriors firing at Sonic. Knuckles wastes no time in relaying Tikal’s directions. However, the other echidnas resist the order.

“Why should we listen to _you?”_ One of them retorts. Some of the other warriors yell out sounds of agreement. 

“Because your chief declares it so,” a familiar voice suddenly responds. A hundred sets of eyes look towards its source.

Emerging from the ruins, Raza wears a solemn expression. His bloodied, dirtied hands are wrapped around a spear, clearly scavenged from somewhere.

Tom immediately moves in front of Maddie, scowling. _“You—! This is all YOUR fault!”_

At Tom’s words, the soldiers raise their weapons in defense of their chief. However, Raza lifts a hand to stop them. He scans the army of warriors: tired, wet, and covered with dust. Looking to him. The old echidna’s eyes narrow.

“As of this moment,” he announces, words easily carrying. _“Knuckles_ is your commander! All orders from him are to be obeyed without question! Am I understood?”

The soldiers salute at once. _“Yes, Chief!”_ They answer before running to follow the command.

With a quiet, pleased sound, Raza returns his focus to Tom and the others. A single heartbeat is the only notice he gets before he is besieged.

“ _What the HELL do you think you’re doing?!”_ Tom snarls, only a hair’s breadth away from eviscerating the echidna. His hands are coiled tight around the chief’s neck, face contorted in pure rage.

 _“Thomas!”_ Maddie cries, attempting to pull her husband’s arms away. Rainwater and sweat cover the man’s tense body. Raza chokes, struggling to breathe. _“Stop!”_

 _“HE did this to our son! He DOESN’T get to walk away from this!”_ Tom roars, grip now fatal. 

_“You can’t kill him!”_

_“He deserves to DIE!”_

_“Sure, he does! But killing him isn’t going to change Sonic back to normal!”_

At Maddie’s words, a primal bellow rips itself from Tom’s lips. He relinquishes his hold on Raza’s throat before throwing the echidna aside into the mud. The man sinks down, an eternity older. His wife places a hand on his shoulder as he tries to calm the storm of emotions in his mind. Above them, the clouds continue their torrent of rain.

 _“Once this is over, I’m going to make sure that you spend the rest of your life in a cell. Stay out of our way. If you try anything at all before then…”_ Tom threatens, eyes piercing into Raza. _“I WILL fucking kill you.”_

Wisely, the echidna does not utter a word, instead electing for a small nod as he gasps for air. Taking one more breath, Tom rises to his full height, as composed as he can be.

“It’s going to be okay,” Maddie soothes, her face sympathetic. Tom nods, more to himself than her. As if he’s trying to convince himself.

“Right,” The sheriff responds hollowly. His face twists with sudden determination. “C’mon,” he exclaims. “We’ve gotta help them.” 

With no time to lose, Tom, Maddie, and Knuckles quickly join the warriors restraining the flailing Sonic. Within seconds, they find gaps on the ropes to fill.

“For Mobius!” The recently-appointed commander shouts, muscles throbbing under the strain.

 _“For Mobius!”_ His army yells back. 

As Sonic writhes against the ropes and chains, howling yet again, only one thought goes through Maddie’s mind.

_Please Tikal. Save my baby._

* * *

Miles thinks his tails are about to fall off. He’s wet, his lungs are burning, his heart is pounding like a drum, and he’s praying that lightning doesn’t start coming down. But then he sees the giant monster and feels Tikal’s weight in his hands, and forces himself to keep going. Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s running on pure willpower and adrenaline right now. His fatigued body is narrowly able to avoid getting swatted out of the sky by a giant spike for the third time.

 _“Miles!”_ Tikal shrieks, barely managing to hold on. The Master Emerald jostles about.

 _“’M fine!_ I can do this!”

Without giving the priestess a chance to respond, Miles rotates his tails faster and surges towards Sonic again, hoping to finally land. With his gaze locked on the monster’s head fin, the kit doesn’t notice Sonic’s mouth opening, the air immediately thickening with static. By the time Tikal calls out, it is too late.

Sonic’s eyes and horns shine with a sickly green. A heartbeat later, he unleashes a blast of white lightning from his fang-lined maw. The beam is aimed skyward—away from the city—and Miles flounders because that was a _deliberate_ miss, a _warning shot._ But then a sudden burning pain shoots up his left wrist, his grip going slack for a moment. Time slows to a crawl as fingers slip from Miles’s hands, frantically scrambling for what they cannot reach. 

_“TIKAL!”_

If you were to ask Miles what happened next, he would not be able to tell you. His body is a yellow missile, cleaving through the sky, as he dives after the plummeting echidna. Reality blurs into the background as he descends. It isn’t until he lands, the girl in his arms, that everything slams back into focus. And then a second later, the dirt rushes up to meet his face. Tikal tumbles out of his hands for a second time, the Master Emerald crashing down into the mud.

“Miles? _Miles!”_ Tikal cries, crawling over to Miles. Water begins to pool in her eyes as she frantically tries to wake him. But the fox does not stir, his body lying cold on the ground. The watch on his wrist crackles with electricity, its inner workings short-circuited and outer shell hot.

 _“No, no, no, no... Oh Gaia, Miles! You have to get up! Please!”_ The priestess wails, prying away the wristwatch.

Silence.

Tears now spilling down her face, Tikal searches through her mind, desperately trying to think of a way to fix this. _No, no, please, he’s so young, please._ Her mind lands on a memory and she swivels around, wide eyes landing on the Master Emerald. She scrambles over to the gemstone, lifting it up and dragging it over to Miles. The priestess hastily places one hand on the emerald and one on the kit. With quivering fingers, she reaches into the ancient energy filling the jewel. The power seeps through her hands like sand at first, her mind too unfocused to contain it. 

_“Please!”_ She begs, warmth streaming down her face. _“Please help me!”_

Drawing in a breath, Tikal reaches in again. This time, she yanks up the energy. The power writhes in her hands, rebelling at this rough handling. You cannot control chaos with chaos, and yet Tikal forces the energy into Miles, using her own body as a buffer. 

For one agonizing moment, nothing happens. But then, gradually, Tikal feels the energy leaving, pouring into the fox’s still form. Her technique is messy, and the river erodes some of her own energy as it moves. Seconds turn to hours as the healing process ticks by. An eternity later, the girl sags to the ground, completely spent. It is done. 

“...Teek?” Somebody calls out weakly. Cerulean eyes flutter open before widening. _“Teek! Teek! Are you okay?”_

“Mmm… I am fine.” Tikal croaks, managing a tired smile. A sudden roar snaps her attention up, and her breath hitches. Now free from his bindings, Sonic resumes his path towards the city as the soldiers desperately try to regroup. A few of the faster warriors manage to fire at the chaos monster, their arrows striking the fin on his head. At once, Sonic lets loose another roar as he stumbles back, ears pinned flat to his head and his tail between his legs. And then it hits Tikal that he isn’t roaring, he’s _wailing._ He’s wailing because he’s still in there, he’s not lashing out, he’s _panicking._

Ignoring the protests of her tired body, Tikal strains to push herself up. However, her exhausted arms bend under the weight and she falls back down again. 

Miles hurries over to assist her. “Teek, you’re hurt!”

The priestess feebly tries to swat the kit’s hands away. _“But I must!_ They are _depending_ on me!”

“All you’ll end up doing is getting yourself _killed!_ You can’t even stand! _Please!”_

“Listen to him, Tikal.” A low voice agrees. Instantly, two sets of eyes look up.

 _“Father?”_ The priestess inquires incredulously.

“Tikal.” Raza repeats, coming to a stop in front of the two. “I—”

The older echidna recoils back, a hand flying automatically to his cheek. Reorienting himself, he looks up and sees Miles looming over him. Slowly, the kit uncurls his fist.

“What are you doing here, you _jerk?”_ The fox interrogates, teeth bared. There’s a shadow over his eyes. 

“Leave him be, Miles.” 

Twin tails sway like a metronome, slow and steady. _“Why?_ So he can make this _worse?”_

“Miles, _please…”_

“Why are you so _nice_ to him, Tikal?! He’s done _nothing_ but _hurt_ you!”

“Because there was a time when he once was proud to call me his daughter. When I knew with the greatest certainty that he loved me.”

At the girl’s words, Miles’s posture falters slightly. 

_“Please.”_

With a growl, the fox stands down. He hurls one last glare at Raza. 

“If you try _anything_ funny,” he threatens, “You _better_ watch out.”

Raza rubs his face one last time, feeling the warmth as a bruise swiftly forms. He smirks in a twisted sort of amusement. “I shall keep that in mind.”

Miles does not respond to the remark, instead electing to help Tikal up. The priestess offers a quiet but sincere thank you before turning to her gaze to the Master Emerald. 

“We need to get up to Sonic’s head. I still need to cast Chaos Control…” 

“Teek, you _can’t!”_

“We are running out of time! The longer Sonic stays like that, the less chance we have to change him back! I have to do this!” A sob bursts out of the girl’s mouth, tears and rain mixing in a river down her face. “Everyone is depending on _me_ because I am the _only one who can fix this!”_

“No, you are not.”

Miles and Tikal freeze. 

_“...What?”_

Raza casts his spear aside and kneels down next to the Master Emerald. The jewel’s light flares at his fingers, drawing a hiss from the older echidna. It recognizes the chief’s touch, remembers the darkness in his heart, and tries to burn it away. The emerald glows brighter and brighter as Raza pulls more and more raw power from it. 

Tikal’s eyes widen.

“Father, what are you _doing?_ ”

“Apologizing for all the hurt that I have caused you. _I am so sorry.”_ Raza chokes out. His body crackles with green fire, searing his flesh and clothes. His daughter’s pupils shrink to pinpoints as she finally realizes what he is doing. She lunges towards him, but Miles pulls her back. 

_“Tikal!”_

_“Father, no! It is too dangerous!”_

The light intensifies, growing blindingly bright. Miles and Tikal are forced to shut their eyes as the ancient power spills out of the gemstone. The two are pushed back by an invisible shockwave, falling into the mud. Raza looks at them one last time, a small, sincere smile on his face. 

“Take care of yourself, my daughter. I leave our people in your more capable hands.” He utters. And then, with tears sliding down his face, he tears his gaze away to confront the monster that he has unleashed. 

A hand raises, burning with gold fire.

_“CHAOS CONTROL!”_

* * *

Something in the air shifts, as if a fraction of pressure has suddenly been lifted. Immediately, everyone goes silent, as if the entire world is watching a great magic trick. A split second later, a flash of gold floods their vision. Tom, Maddie, and Knuckles shield their vision from the light. When they open their eyes a lifetime later, the trio immediately gasp. 

Somehow, they have been transported back to the shrine. Cracked stone, scattered rings, and cyan shards surround them as they whirl about in pure confusion. Sonic’s monster form towers above the damaged structure, body frozen in place. The Master Emerald sits in its pedestal, six gemstones hovering around it in a circle. A ringing sound quietly echoes through the air.

 _“What? How did…? Did Tikal do this?”_ Tom hazards, bewildered. The man glances over to Knuckles, who dons an equally as puzzled expression. Before he can respond however, a young voice shouts out their names.

“Tom! Maddie! Knuckles!” Miles calls, Tikal leaning against his side. It seems that the two of them have also been transported here. At once, the other three race over to them, not questioning how they got there. Knuckles scoops the priestess up in his arms.

“Tikal, you did it!” Maddie cheers. But her happiness turns to confusion once again when she notices the sorrow on the girl’s face. “Tikal?”

It is Miles who gives an answer, face overcast and tails limp on the ground. “It was Raza who cast Chaos Control. He… He didn’t make it.”

 _“Oh.”_

The fox’s head tilts up. “He did a brave thing.”

Tom swallows the lump in his throat. It tastes bitter. A beat. “That he did.”

A silence descends on the group, the only sound being Tikal’s quiet sobs. It does not last however, as a white orb of light suddenly materializes before them. The orb twinkles before expanding outward, creating another flash that temporarily blinds the group. As the light subsides, Tom and Maddie hear something that makes their minds go blank. 

_“...Donut Lord? Pretzel Lady?”_ A voice whispers. It’s quiet and soft but it’s _his,_ it’s _his,_ and _oh thank god, it’s HIS._

In less than a heartbeat, the humans rush towards the hedgehog. But just as they are about to engulf him in a bone-crushing embrace, he phases through their fingers like a ghost. Two sets of eyes widen as they turn around in disbelief.

Sonic gives them a wan smile, his body flickering like an old-fashioned, CRT television. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “Only part of my power is here, since…” The teenager trails off, jerking a hand half-heartedly behind him without looking. Towards watery spikes and massive claws. “Anyways.”

Tom and Maddie step towards Sonic again, kneeling down right in front of him. Close enough that they could easily touch him. 

“It’s okay,” Maddie comforts, resisting the urge to place a hand on the speedster’s cheek, his little nose, his ears, just _anything._ To kiss him and never let him go. Her baby is here, he’s _here_ , and that’s all that matters.

“So what’s the plan, buddy?” Tom asks, trying to keep his voice neutral. Calm. “Are you gonna change back to normal?”

Sonic glances down sharply. And his parents’ hearts fall.

_“Blueberry?”_

At the use of the nickname, the hedgehog sighs deeply. 

“I…” he starts, focus on his bare feet. “I _can’t_ change back.”

Time stops. 

_“...What?”_

Sonic shuffles in place, raising his gaze to meet Tom and Maddie. His eyes, while still green, seem less saturated in color. “The chaos, it’s… It’s so _much._ I _can’t_ control it.” The teen tears his attention away from the humans, glancing at someone behind them. “Tikal, you have to turn me back into an emerald.”

Tom shuts him down instantly. _“No!_ Sonic, you are our _son_. We _can’t_ lose you. We can figure out something else, there _has to be another—”_

 _“Dad,”_ Sonic utters, the word sounding like a prayer. He looks over to Maddie with tear-filled eyes. _“Mom._ Please don’t… _Don’t_ make this _harder.”_ The hedgehog’s form glows faintly before turning more opaque. Solid. _“Please,”_ he repeats, gently taking Tom’s hand in one and Maddie’s in the other. “Chaos Control won’t last much longer. I’ll _hurt_ people if you don’t stop me. _You HAVE to let Tikal change me back.”_

_“S-Sonic…!”_

_“Please.”_ Sonic pleads, now full on sobbing at this point. His body is quivering like a leaf, blinking in and out of visibility. But his hands remain solid, still clinging to his parents. “I’m _begging_ you, _as your son, just… Let me go.”_

Nobody utters a word after the hedgehog speaks. What _can_ you say after that?

 _“Son…”_ Tom breathes. He’s shaking, he’s _shaking,_ this _can’t_ be happening, _it CAN’T._

No parent should have to bury their child.

_“Please.”_

A lifetime races by in a single heartbeat. A million thoughts and memories—what-ifs and holidays and birthdays and graduation, why did they even _think_ about _graduation_ —race through two minds. Tom and Maddie squeeze their son’s hands as tight as possible. Unwilling to let go but knowing… _knowing_ that they have to.

After all, what is one life to save an entire island? A civilization? A planet?

Studying his parents’ face, Sonic smiles. As bright and as fleeting as a sunflower in bloom.

“You two are the _kindest,_ most _wonderful_ people I have ever met. I’m so glad I had a chance to spend some of my life with you. Thank you _so, so_ much for _everything.”_

In the end, it is the three simple words that Tom and Maddie choke out through their tears. Leaning down, they each place a single kiss on Sonic’s head, letting their foreheads touch before reluctantly pulling away. Soaking up every part of him before he leaves them. Windswept quills and fluffy ears. The calming scents of pine trees and rain that always manages to stay in his soft fur.

_“I love you, son.”_

_“I love you, baby.”_

Their child beams back at them. Bright and sweet but tart and sour. Like a blueberry. _“I love you too.”_

Slowly, Sonic lets go of the two humans. Giving them one final look, he turns and steps towards Miles, Tikal, and Knuckles. All three are crying as well.

 _“Sonic, I—”_ Tikal starts before the speedster raises a hand. 

“I don’t blame you for any of this. That goes for you too, Tails. Knuckles.”

_“But—!”_

Sonic cocks his trademark grin at them, proud and confident and friendly. Not a hint of anger to be found. “Hey, it’s okay. It’ll be okay.” He briefly closes his eyes, inhaling. Breathing. He won’t get to do that again. “Tikal,” he starts, trying not to let his voice crack. “I’m… I’m _ready.”_

Gesturing to Knuckles to set her down, the priestess heaves air into her lungs. It does little good. Folding her hands together, she begins to recite the prayer that caused all of this pain.

 _“The servers are the seven Chaos…”_ she begins. Instantly, Sonic—both forms of him—begin to glow. 

_“Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart…”_

Sonic’s body begins to fade, vanishing before their eyes. The sight makes Maddie’s breath hitch and she surges towards him with a sob. But an invisible wall blocks her path, keeping her away from her son. The woman’s fists pound powerlessly against the barrier, an anguished howl ripping itself from her throat as her husband rushes up to console her. 

_“The controller is the one that… unifies the Chaos.”_

Tikal stutters, unwilling to continue. She can’t do this, she _can’t,_ but there are two familiar hands on her shoulders and a heavy crown on her head, and she shoves out the last line of this death sentence. Seven, unified voices echo in her head.

 _“I wish…”_ she utters, voice almost inaudible. Tears pour down each face present. _“I wish for the emeralds to return to their original states.”_

At the girl’s words, both forms of Sonic dissolve into shimmering orbs. The two lights spiral around one another before meshing together in a larger cyan one. As the orb moves into the circle with the other emeralds, Tom and Maddie hear a voice whispering in the back of their minds. Streaks of color fly away from the altar as the world erupts into a rainbow of light.

Five sets of eyes slowly blink back into focus to discover that they have been transported back to the city. Soldiers spin about in a daze as they search about for a danger that is no longer there. The sun starts to peek out from behind the clouds. On the ground, the Master Emerald glitters in the sunlight.

It’s quiet. 

Still.

Peaceful.

Maddie stares ahead blankly. Her shattered heart slices into her chest, every ragged breath leeching more and more out of her. Someone one breathes her name and arms wrap around her. Squeezing her tight lest she be swept away in the flood.

 _“_ S—!” She chokes. _“S—!”_

The wail of mother’s grief echoes across the ruins of Mystic City.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I started writing this fic, I wrote up an outline for all of the chapters. It was really helpful for keeping everything together so I followed it pretty well.
> 
> And then I got a crazy idea. A quick sketch and a couple days later, I threw away my outline. This giant chapter was basically written from messy notes and ideas that I sent to my beta reader. And somehow, it ended up being probably the biggest chapter I've ever written. Plot twists are fun. Hopefully, you all enjoyed this wild ride. Shout-out to the Pocket Hog discord for fueling this utter chaos.
> 
> Here are some story notes:  
> -If you've played Sonic Adventure 1, you might have guessed that Chaos was going to show up in some capacity. But you might not have expected the giant monster to be Sonic. Perfect Chaos (or pupper Sonic as I like to call him) in this AU is inspired by Monster Steven and the werehog from Sonic Unleashed. Unlike Chaos, Sonic's transformation wasn't brought on by rage but rather self-loathing. As such, he doesn't actively go about trying to hurt people.  
> -If you remember back in chapter 5, Knuckles mentioned that the royal family are the ones who guard the emeralds and know how to use their powers. So that's why Raza knows Chaos Control. Chaos energy is affected by emotions, and negative ones make it more difficult and dangerous to use.  
> -Sonic's orb of light form is a reference to Tikal's orb form in Sonic Adventure.
> 
> The drawing of Chaos Kaiju Sonic (or Chaos-ju) is by SmallPwbbles! They're an awesome artist and you should definitely check out their amazing tumblr! https://smallpwbbles.tumblr.com/  
> If you want to make your heart hurt even more, listen to this video by DeeLee The Oddity. This is what Sonic's roars sound like. https://youtu.be/F0epFmXO8iw


	9. cyan

Psychology states that there are five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Rebuilding seems to be part of the acceptance stage.

Like a perfect queen, Tikal steps up to lead her people. While the echidnas mourn the death of their former leader, they rally around their new chiefess. As soon as she relays orders, they spring into action. Clearing out debris. Bringing the evacuees back. Tending to those injured.

There are only two deaths from the incident, and Tikal finds herself both eternally grateful and horribly haunted. One life will be remembered, cherished and mourned in a funeral of glory. The other...

The other is the reason why there are only two fatalities. The reason why Mobius is finally healing. The reason why there's even still a city left. 

Rubbing her eyes, Tikal carefully packs the thought away. The people need their chiefess.

Ever a pillar of strength, Knuckles stands by his chiefess, ready and willing to do anything she requests. Barely minutes after his wounds are finally tended to, he rushes into the fray to assist in the rebuilding process. At the same time, Tails hovers above the city, scouting and noting the extent of the damage. 

Tom and Maddie help out as well. Having something to do helps.

It isn’t until Tikal walks up to the two humans, a gentle hand on their arms, that the couple finally stops.

“Thomas. Maddie. Perhaps you both should head home. You have done enough.”

Tom lets out a huff, brow furrowing. But Tikal smiles, bittersweet and fragile. Empathetic. Her next words come with a reverent, soft tone.

“My mother was the heart of my family. After she was killed, my father swore to never be that weak again. He ordered the people to never utter her name again because he couldn’t bear to be reminded of her. To be reminded of loss. He never wanted to feel that pain ever again.” Tikal stares at the two parents’ faces, eyes gazing deep into their souls. “Please. Do not do this to yourself.”

Slowly, Tom and Maddie draw in a breath. A beat. A decision. Tikal lifts her hands away.

“Come,” she says. “There should still be some rings left at the shrine. Gather your things and meet me outside the palace once you are ready.”

Somehow, Tom manages a stiff nod. Taking his wife’s hand, they travel to the palace. Surprisingly, the structure is largely intact, allowing the two to easily find their guest room. Like spectres, they move through the dusty space, picking up their bags. Everything seems to be fine until their eyes land on a small backpack and two red sneakers. Weight crashes down upon two hearts.

Silently, the sheriff walks up and gently lifts the items. Unzipping his duffel bag, he delicately packs the shoes inside. The backpack doesn’t fit and so Tom is forced to carry it.

“Hey,” he says quietly, retaking Maddie’s limp hand. Fresh tears spill down her face, and he tenderly brushes them away. “Let’s go. Tikal’s waiting for us.”

Just as she said, they find Tikal waiting outside. The echidna is in the midst of conversing with Tails when she notices the two humans, seeming slightly off guard. Knuckles stands off to the side, carting a familiar green stone.

“Tikal.” Tom greets, a bit confused. Maddie stands silently by his side, vision slipping in and out of focus. “What’s all this?”

The girl’s expression seems to fall slightly. “Miles and Knuckles will accompany you to the shrine. I must remain here, with my people. They are… looking to me now.” 

_“Oh.”_

There’s a beat of silence as after Tikal speaks. She shuffles in place as the others stare at her.

“Thomas and Maddie, I…” The chiefess trails off, feeling the familiar burn in her chest. A billion words swirl about in her mind, all of them empty. She sighs. There’s nothing to say. 

In the end, it is a common phrase that she offers to the grieving. It sounds trite. “Thank you both for _everything._ May Light Gaia shine down on you.”

A beat. Then Tom responds with a small nod, his neck bending like a rusted hinge. “You’re welcome,” he replies, words only coming out due to habit. Everything feels hazy.

Tikal offers them another smile. Poised. Regal. Serene. She turns to Knuckles and Tails, relaying her final directions. With solemn steps, the fox and echidna lead the humans out of the ruined city.

It’s a long walk to the shrine. While this is the second time they’ve gone to the shrine, this trip feels longer. Worse. The sunlight burns like a fire. Too bright. Too hot.

Tails slows his pace to walk beside Tom and Maddie. His mouth opens multiple times, but nothing comes out. Ears lowered, he returns his gaze forward, his shoulders heavy. Ahead, Knuckles marches on towards their destination, the Master Emerald clutched in his hands. The stairs seem steeper than before—a heavy one, two, three. Eventually, they reach the top.

It’s odd. Tom doesn’t really expect to see anything once they arrive at the altar. Maybe some broken stone bricks and the rings. But seeing _nothing,_ seeing that the Chaos Emeralds and the shards are _gone,_ nearly breaks him. Without thinking, his fingers tighten around the straps of a child’s backpack. He blinks rapidly, trying to clear his eyes.

Stepping over a pile of rubble, Tails bends down and collects the scattered rings. He retains one for himself before presenting a filled, familiar pouch to Tom. Before the man can even respond, the fox presses the bag into his hands.

“This was his. You should take it.” He states, only a slight waver in his voice. While they say nothing, there is clear gratitude on the man's face.

Turning away, the kit wordlessly watches as the guardian to place the Master Emerald back on its pedestal. The stone slides into its spot with ease, its glow appearing to intensify slightly once in place. The deed done, Tails ambles back over to Tom and Maddie. Slowly, he removes the bag hanging at his side and offers it to the humans. Tom’s breath hitches when he feels a hard, faceted surface underneath the fabric. Like polished stone.

“I found it… _him_ while I was flying over the city. The Chaos Emeralds all seemed to have scattered after the planet's energy was restored. Tikal said this was okay.” Tails explains, an unclear expression on his face. Like sorrow and regret and anger all mixed into a sour cocktail. “I… I know this probably means _nothing_ to you but I just…” The kit pauses, drawing in a breath. “No matter what he… No matter what _Sonic_ said, I was still the one who found him. Who brought him here. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry.”

A silence falls over the group after Tails speaks. Tom drapes an arm around Maddie before swallowing the lump in his throat. The weight of a soul, his son’s soul, feels impossibly heavy in his quivering hands. He sucks in a breath. You should say thank you, he’s being sincere. It’s the _polite_ thing to do. 

“Thanks,” the man eventually states. 

Thankfully, the fox accepts the response. He brandishes the ring, and with a flash of gold a portal to Earth opens. Green Hills shines like an oasis in the shimmering frame.

 _“Thank you,”_ Tails and Knuckles offer, unable to say anything else. The words are hollow and echo off the cracked stone. Somehow, Tom manages a nod as he ushers his wife into the portal. 

“You’re welcome,” he says as he disappears into the ring, just as empty as his grieving heart.

* * *

The thud of the front door closing echoes loudly through the house. It seems much louder nowadays than before. Tom bends down and offers his usual salutations to Ozzie before walking into the kitchen. The scent of spaghetti sauce fills the room as Maddie stirs a pot at the stove. An oversized hoodie hangs from her body.

“Hi Maddie,” Tom greets, a small smile on his face. He doesn’t get a response.

A beat. Hesitation.

“It, uh, smells good.” 

“It’s done,” his wife suddenly announces, finally spinning around. Her brown eyes are red. 

Tom’s smile falters for a millisecond. “Well, do you need any help or any—”

“Go get changed,” Maddie instructs in a clipped tone. She turns back to the stove.

This time, Tom’s expression stays down. “Of course,” he manages to respond before heading upstairs. When he comes down, the table is already furnished, two plates of spaghetti set and ready to be consumed.

The sheriff says nothing as he sits down into a chair. He picks up his fork and begins swirling the spaghetti together.

“It’s good,” he tries, after taking a bite. Maddie says nothing. Ten minutes pass by without a word, the only sound being the light scraping of dinnerware.

Maddie pushes the noodles around, fork clinking against the largely untouched plate. Her vision is unfocused, staring down into nothing. Tom draws in a breath.

“Hey,” the man says quietly. Slowly, he reaches across the table and delicately takes his wife’s hand. Maddie raises her gaze, dark circles framing it. Tom bites his lip and resists the urge to sigh. His eyes glance over to an empty chair.

It’s Saturday.

Saturday is movie night. 

Tom gives his wife’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t you get ready for bed? I’ll take care of this and meet you upstairs.” Eventually, she gives him a small nod. Her husband smiles.

It takes about fifteen minutes for Tom to clean up the kitchen. The only dishes to wash are the forks, cups, and the plates that they just used. Maddie has been cleaning constantly ever since they got back. It… 

It gives her something to do.

Putting away the broom, Tom heads up the stairs. As he reaches the top of the steps, he hears something that makes him pause. Ozzie sits in the darkened hall, whimpering as he stares up at the ceiling. Towards the closed attic door.

Forcing air into his lungs, the sheriff pulls the cord. The stairs come down with a creak and Ozzie scrambles to his paws. Mouth straightening into a line, Tom places a hand in front of the dog. 

“Stay,” he commands, tone firm. Ozzie’s ears flatten against his head, but he complies with the order. Seeing his dejected state, Tom gives the canine a quick head rub. “Sorry, boy. But I don’t think she wants company.”

Drawing his hand back, Tom climbs up the stairs and into the attic. 

Entering this room feels like entering a dream. Everything is exactly as it was. Ukulele on the bean bag. Clothes and school supplies thrown messily aside as they packed to leave. Black, laced sneakers left behind in favor of red trainers. And a little, lavender, stuffed owl toy perched on the pillows.

Maddie is curled up on the small bed. All of her attention is fixed on the faintly glowing gemstone cradled in her hands. Unmoving. Silent. 

“Hi, Blueberry,” the woman greets softly. A fragile smile forms on her lips. “I made spaghetti for dinner. I know that's not your favorite food, but we can’t have chili dogs all the time, you know.” A pause. Maddie wipes at her face with the back of a sleeve. She forces out a laugh, sharp and breathless. “How are you doing today? I’m sorry I didn’t come up earlier, I just…” The veterinarian trails off, pressure building in her hollow eyes. “I tried to do yoga today. And you weren’t there and it was so _quiet_ and I _couldn’t—”_

A wail rips itself from Maddie’s throat as the walls finally come tumbling down. Two arms wrap around her trembling body as she pulls the emerald to her chest, right above her heart. 

_“SONIC!”_ She screams, fingers wrapped tight around the glowing jewel. _“Please! Please come back! I—”_

The sound of sobbing fills the attic as a mother curls into herself. Tom attempts to console her while fighting back his own tears at the same time. Two parents grieving on their dead child’s bed. One loud and messy, and the other quiet and restrained. Control. He needs to stay in control because that’s all he has left now. 

It feels like an eternity but gradually—at a glacier’s pace—Maddie’s sobs fade into sniffles. Tom brushes her face, and it stays somewhat dry. His gaze lands on the glowing jewel clutched in Maddie’s hands. He draws in a breath. It tastes like ash.

“C’mon,” the man says, drawing one last circle on his wife’s back. “It’s getting late. We should get to bed.” Another pause. And then he adds, “He can sleep with us tonight.” 

Tom’s body feels like lead as he gets to his feet. Turning back to his wife, he offers her a hand. There’s a beat of silence as Maddie considers. And then, gingerly, she takes his hand and rises from the bed. Hardly five seconds after the woman stands, the emerald in her hand suddenly flashes. 

With a gasp, Maddie lets go of the gem. The jewel floats upward as the air buzzes with static. Items around the room are sent flying as a supernatural wind builds, the gray blanket on the bed sent swirling up around the emerald. With a chorus of barks, Ozzie bursts from the trapdoor to protect his humans, growling at the vortex of energy. Tom manages to break from his stupor and yanks the canine to safety, knowing—and yet not knowing—the power of a Chaos Emerald. The group of three stares transfixed at the light as it grows brighter and brighter, forming into a sphere of sorts around the emerald. And then suddenly, in one final burst, the gemstone flashes a blinding cyan. There’s an immediate crash as objects fall to the ground.

When Tom and Maddie open their eyes, the room is in disarray. The gray blanket lies in a pile on the bed. 

For several moments, nobody utters a word. Then suddenly, the blanket _lurches._ At once, Tom moves in front of his wife, posture tense. But then Ozzie tilts his head forward, sniffing. He steps towards the bed, tail beginning to wag. Just as Tom goes to pull the dog back, he notices something underneath the fabric. And judging by Maddie’s expression, he is not the only one who has seen it. 

With slow, methodical steps, the two humans follow their pet towards the bed. The rational part of their brains tells them to stop, _wait._ But the other part declares that even a single second more would be too long. 

Kneeling down, Tom and Maddie reach out towards the pile. Cloth initially flinches back from their touch before eventually inching back towards them. The couple begin to gently pull away some of the fabric, hands quivering and shaking as Ozzie starts to yap excitedly. The blanket is horribly tangled, and the humans can’t help but smile. And then giggle. And then fully laugh as they finally peel the gray away to reveal cobalt blue. 

In an instant, Tom and Maddie pull the being close. Sobs and kisses and laughter as two thin arms—warm and soft and very much _real_ —hug back. Tighter and tighter until you cannot distinguish the three from each other.

There’s a gem in his chest. A little pyramid of cyan right above his heart. And some of his teeth seem pointier than before. There's a hint of cyan on the tips of his quills. But Tom and Maddie don’t care. The former of the two swipes at his face. It stays dry for maybe about a millisecond before fresh tears wet it all over again. 

_“You…”_ he breathes, tone flooded with relief and joy. “You had us so _worried.”_

At the man’s words, Sonic grins. It’s a shy sort of smile, a far cry from his usual confident smirk, but it’s all he can manage right now with the hurricane of emotions in his mind. 

_“S-Sorry._ You’re not… You're not gonna ground me, _are you?”_

Maddie presses another kiss to his crown, nuzzling her cheek against his soft fur. “Oh, we are _far_ beyond _grounding,_ young man. We are going to squeeze you tight and _never_ let you go.”

Sonic’s smile widens as water rushes down his face. “Lucky me then. I don’t plan on going _anywhere,_ Mom.” He replies, before his expression suddenly sours. His parents pause, concern instantly coloring their features.

“Did I…” the hedgehog starts, voice catching as tears fall, _“Did anyone…?”_

 _“No,”_ Tom immediately answers. “Tikal was certain. All the civilians were evacuated before you got there.”

His son frowns, ears flattening against his head. “That _can’t_ be… The city, _I... I was—”_

Whatever words Sonic are about to say die in his throat as Ozzie abruptly licks his face. The speedster whines in protest as he tries and fails to push the delighted canine away. The moisture on his face goes from tears to dog slobber. Tom and Maddie break out into breathless laughter again at the display, the scene so beautifully familiar.

Sorrow and rage are powerful emotions. But there is nothing like the strength of two parents' love to bend the very hands of fate for their son.

They’re _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, chaos theory comes to a close. Thank you all so much for joining me on this crazy adventure. I'd like to give a special thanks to my beta reader for suffering through my constant craziness and for being willing to experience all these crazy emotions! I couldn't have done this story without you. I would also to thank the Pocket Hog discord for being unintentional ghost writers for this fic. You all have wonderful ideas and I love seeing your support. A special shoutout to tharkflark1 and smallpwbbles especially.
> 
> What you have just read is a rewrite of this chapter. I really struggled with writing a good ending to follow up that craziness last chapter. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this story. As always, leave your comments, questions, and concerns below. Thank you so much for... Wait, what's that? Another chapter? But I thought this story was d—


	10. ???

With a snarl, the empty canister is hurled aside. It slams into a rock, glass shards sent flying everywhere. 

To be this _close_ —this CLOSE—for the power source to disappear! And for no discernible reason at all! Levels were increasing as expected, blue electricity crackling, and then _failure._ The quill suddenly combusted, dissolving into nothing! An unlimited energy source and he had somehow used it all up.

Heaving a deep breath into his lungs, he forces the scarlet haze down into oblivion.

No. This is a minor setback. A temporary detour before his triumphant arrival. A lesser man would be consumed by rage and despair here. Not him.

Gathering the metal ends of the canister—still _intact,_ still _useful_ —he packs them away. He needs to locate a new power source for his machine.Turning to his control console, he determines the minimum amount of energy necessary to operate. Perhaps he can construct solar panels to harness this planet’s intense sunlight. He’ll have to devise a way to make them as efficient as possible and possibly move to a new location in order to better…

A sudden beeping noise on his gauntlet seizes his attention. His eyes widen.

Barking a hasty order to his inferior to guard this location, he bounds across the giant mushroom caps, glancing at his wrist every so often. The beeping growing louder and faster with every step he takes until it crescendos to a deafening, steady pitch.

Red light reflects in broken lenses as he gently lifts the object. The glowing jewel feels warm in his hand, pulsing with energy.

 _Limitless_ energy.

He’s back on schedule.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Sonic got through Act 1!

Continue?

Y/N


End file.
